New Jersey’s Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy said on Aug. 31 his state has no more room for illegal immigrants and lacks the resources to take border crossers from neighboring New York, despite his campaign promises to create a welcoming “sanctuary state.”
The Democrat gov. issued his proclamation after the Biden administration revealed that New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport is on a list of eleven facilities targeted for shipments of illegals to help alleviate the glut of 100,000 border crossers who have flooded into nearby New York City over the last year.
Murphy not only nixed the Atlantic City airport plan but he added that the whole state is off limits to Biden’s illegals. Murphy spoke on the issue during a New 12 “Ask Gov. Murphy” segment on Aug. 31.
File/People protest outside of the Elizabeth Detention Center during a rally attended by immigrant residents and activists on February 23, 2017 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Over 100 demonstrators chanted and held up signs outside of the center which held people awaiting deportation. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“I don’t see any scenario where we’re going to be able to take in a program in Atlantic City or frankly elsewhere in the state,” Murphy said, according to New Jersey 12. “You need scale, enormous amount of federal support, resources that go beyond anything that we can afford. Putting everything else aside, I just don’t see it. I would suspect that that will continue to be the case.”
Murphy also pointed out that the Biden administration has not taken the time to talk to him about hosting more illegal aliens and noted that some had already entered New Jersey without any authorization.
This is the same Gov. Murphy who as a candidate in 2017 insisted that he would make the entire state a “sanctuary state.”
When Murphy was running against Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno, he went all in to pander for votes from those who were enamored with the idea of “sanctuary” policies.
During that campaign, Guadagno spoke directly against sanctuary city policies saying that polices like them invite danger to a community and reward lawbreaking.
But Murphy disagreed and according to Politico said that sanctuary policies are about “inclusiveness,” and claimed that taking in illegals was about “the goodness of America” and righting the “nation’s moral compass.”
Then, during the October 2017 gubernatorial debate, Murphy blasted Guadagno’s stance against illegals and promised that if elected, “We’ll be a sanctuary – not just city – but state.”
Flash forward to 2023 and all that hoary rhetoric is out the window as New Jersey is reacting against giving sanctuary to the illegals in Biden’s plans to send tens of thousands of border crossers to New Jersey and other communities in the region.
Other official in the Garden State have also spoken up to insist that there aren’t enough resources for an influx of illegals.
Both Democrat and Republican officials from Atlantic County, for instance, have spoken against the Biden plan to house illegals at their airport, The Press of Atlantic City reported.
The mayors of Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic City — the first a Republican and the latter a Democrat — stood shoulder-to-shoulder to warn the Biden administration against sending illegals to the airport. Both had the same message: there aren’t enough resources and money to care for hundreds or thousands of illegals.
“Egg Harbor Township does not have the capacity to handle this,” said Egg Harbor Republican Mayor Laura Pfrommer. “We do not have the social service programs to handle this. Our residents are scared of this.”
Democrats Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. agreed, saying, “What you see here is people crossing party lines and putting the greater good above the party.”
Republican state Sen. Vince Polistina was even more adamant, delivering a “hell no” to the idea.
“We immediately said hell no,” said Polistina. “From our standpoint, someone in Washington, D.C., was not following this too closely and taking a look at where they’re recommending that this be done.”
Republican Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson told Politico that he opposes the Biden plan, as well.
“All I can say is that I will do my best to prevent this from happening,” he said. “We can’t afford it. We’re a poor county. We’re one of the poorest counties in New Jersey. It’s not a burden I can put on our taxpayers.”
The Atlantic County Mayors Association, comprised of members of both parties, is also opposing Biden’s plan to ship thousands of illegals to New Jersey.
Association President and Absecon Mayor Kim Horton, a Democrat, is sending a resolution opposing the plan.
“Lawmakers need to work together to make comprehensive immigration policies that protect our towns and communities,” Horton told the media. “I’m happy that we are collectively up here, Democrats, Republicans, independents. We are a united front.”
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