Staff Reports
Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, has changed his mind about how to handle border issues. Even though Murphy used to want New Jersey to become a "sanctuary state," he won't take in immigrants as part of a plan by the Biden administration. The plan to move some of the 60,000 people seeking asylum in New York City to the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, led to this choice. Murphy was worried about how much it would cost and how few resources there would be to house these people. Since Murphy has always backed liberal immigration policies, this change of heart is especially interesting.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has changed his stance on border policies after refusing to take in immigrants as proposed under a Biden administration scheme, even though the governor had earlier insisted on building a “sanctuary state.” https://t.co/iGI7pGl2Lm
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) September 5, 2023
In 2017, when he was running for governor, Murphy supported the idea of making New Jersey a "sanctuary state." This made his Republican opponent very upset, because he said that such a policy could be dangerous. Murphy, on the other hand, stressed that sanctuary policies were about being open to everyone and showed America's moral sense. So, it's funny that he now wants nothing to do with the idea he once supported.
Republican lawmakers from New Jersey's 13th district spoke out against using the state to fix bad policies made by Democrats. They asked New Jersey to make it clear to both New York City and Washington, D.C., that they will not put up with the consequences of New York City and Washington, D.C., not being able to deal with the ongoing immigration problem. Also, the Republican Executive of Atlantic County, Dennis Levinson, said that he was determined to stop migrants from being sent to the county because it couldn't afford them.
Leaders in New York are also being criticized for how they are handling the situation with immigration, while New Jersey is still trying to figure out what to do about immigration. Governor Kathy Hochul points the finger directly at the federal government and says that it is their job to solve the problem. On the other hand, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says Hochul messed up and that every county in the state, including New York City, should be held responsible.
Illegal immigration is on the rise across the southwest land border, which is where this discussion is taking place. Because of the policies of the current government, the number of encounters with illegal immigrants has gone through the roof. In 2020, there were 458,088 meetings. In 2021 and 2022, that number jumped to 1.73 million and 2.37 million, respectively. With more than 1.97 million encounters as of July, the problem is getting worse. Tim Scott, a Republican senator, talks about how important it is to finish the border wall, deal with the fentanyl problem, and crack down on drug cartels.
The immigration debate continues to split politicians along party lines, with each side blaming the other for the present crisis. As Democrats in New Jersey and New York deal with the effects of their own policies, it is still unclear how they will deal with these problems in the future.
