NATIONAL REVIEW – After the Biden administration teased the idea of relocating New York City migrants to the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey, the state’s Democratic governor has come out and publicly refused to cooperate.
“I don’t see any scenario where we’re gonna be able to take in a program in Atlantic City or, frankly, elsewhere in the state,” Governor Phil Murphy said during his appearance on News 12 New Jersey on Thursday night.
“We are already seeing folks in New Jersey that have probably swelled into New Jersey from New York or other locations, but you need scale, an enormous amount of federal support, resources that go beyond anything we can afford.”
“Putting everything else aside, I just don’t see it. I would suspect that’ll continue to be the case.”
Murphy’s comments are a remarkable about-face given his contemplation of turning New Jersey into a “sanctuary” state during the 2017 gubernatorial race against lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno .
…article continued below
– Advertisement –
“Donald Trump and Chris Christie have shown us that elections have consequences, and that the most effective tactic to push back to reject the politics of division and fear mongering is to use the ballot box,” Murphy, who previously served as American ambassador to Germany in the Obama administration, told Politico at the time.
At the time, Murphy sought to distinguish himself from then-President Donald Trump and his rhetoric on illegal immigration. “We’ll be a sanctuary – not just city – but state,” then-Democratic candidate Murphy said in a New Jersey gubernatorial debate.
Once in office, Murphy’s attorney general, Gurbir Grewal issued a string of directives that turned a blind eye to illegal immigration, including restricting local law enforcement from coordinating with ICE or probing into a suspect’s immigration status unless “necessary to the ongoing investigation.”
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent New York City mayor Eric Adams a list of nearly a dozen federally operated facilities that the beleaguered politician could use to temporarily relocate asylum seekers inundating the Big Apple.
Among the properties were Schenectady Airport, Camp Smith (near Peekskill, NH), and the Atlantic City Airport …
…article continued below
– Advertisement –