New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is currently traveling in Mexico, but he has absolutely no desire to discuss immigration reform or the crisis on the border.
During remarks to the press, Christie actively challenged reporters who pressed him on the issue. “I know you guys are begging to have me focus on immigration, and let me put you to rest: I’m not going to,” he said, according to CNN’s Ashley Killough. “You can ask in 18 different ways. … I’m not giving you the story, so you can move on to whatever your next questions are.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Service, at least 1877 unaccompanied minors have been released to sponsors in New Jersey this year.
Christie asserted that he had “no role” in the immigration debate as governor of New Jersey, unless it affected his constituents. He told reporters that he wouldn’t articulate his position on immigration reform until he decided whether or not he would run for president.
As the Republican governor of a Democratic state, Christie has a record of supporting some kind of immigration reform. “The President and the Congress have to step up to the plate, they have to secure our borders, and they have to put forward a common sense path to citizenship for people,” Christie told ABC in 2010.
In January 2014, Christie signed the DREAM Act in New Jersey, allowing children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state college tuition rates.”You’re an inspiration to us because in you we see all that our country can be,” Christie said to a group of DREAMers during the signing ceremony. “In you we see, most importantly, infinite possibilities of the human spirit.”
During his remarks, he cited his support for the DREAM Act as a message to Washington about compromising and making a smart investment.
“Unlike what happens in Washington, that government can actually work for you,” he said, adding, “That things can actually get done, that agreements can be reached, and that commitments can be kept.”