New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has changed his stance on border policies after refusing to take in illegal immigrants as proposed under a Biden administration scheme, even though the governor had earlier insisted on building a “sanctuary state.”
The Biden administration recently proposed that some of the 60,000 illegal immigrants in New York City could be moved to the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The decision triggered a sharp reaction from New Jersey politicians.
“We are already seeing folks in New Jersey that have probably swelled into Jersey from New York City or from other locations, but you need scale, enormous amount of federal support—resources that go beyond anything that we can afford—putting everything else aside.”
Mr. Murphy’s concerns about housing illegal immigrants comes despite the fact that he has been a vocal supporter of liberal immigration policies over the past years. In 2017, while he was a candidate, Mr. Murphy insisted on making New Jersey a “sanctuary state.”
At the time, his competitor, the Republican nominee for governor, warned about the dangers of providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants and accused Mr. Murphy of seeking to “violate” the federal law and putting people at risk.
“It is well past time for the Governor and our U.S. Senators to make it clear to New York City and Washington, D.C., that New Jersey will not tolerate their inabilities to implement real, effective changes to address the immigration crisis facing this nation.
“The State of New Jersey should not become a tool to gloss over the gross ineptitude of federal politicians to produce a fair resolution.”
Democrats Fight Over Immigrants
While New Jersey is rejecting the Biden administration’s proposal to send some of New York’s illegal immigrants to their state, New York’s leaders are facing heat over the impacts of their own party’s border policies and the resulting immigrant surge, with Democrats blaming each other for the situation.“This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government … The borders and decisions about who can work are solely determined by the federal government,” she said.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is blaming Ms. Hochul for the crisis. “I think the governor’s wrong. She’s the governor of the state of New York. New York City is in that state. Every county in this state should be part of this,” he said during a recent speech.
The Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget calculates the cost of providing shelter and other services to these illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at $1.4 billion in 2023 and $2.8 billion in 2024.
Immigrant Numbers Jump Under Biden
The illegal immigration crisis in New York is happening as the number crossing into the United States across the southwest land border has surged under the policies of the current administration.
“The number one thing we should do is finish the border wall. The second thing that we should do is use the available technology to stop the fentanyl from killing another 70,000 Americans per year,” Mr. Scott said.
Mr. Scott also stressed the need to “crush the cartels.”
“We cut off their blood support, so to speak, by taking away their money. If we do that, we’ll save tens of thousands of American lives,” he said.
“I wrote the legislation to get that done. It was passed through the Senate.”
The bill has yet to become law.
