- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told a progressive group that he and his wife discussed hosting a migrant in their house. It sparked criticisms from conservative media and Republicans in the state.
- Harboring a migrant in the country illegally is a violation of federal law.
- A source told local newspaper group NJ Advance Media that the comments were hypothetical, that the person being discussed has legal status, and at no point did anybody live with the governor in his home.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, faced criticism from Republicans in the state for comments he made suggesting that he either supported housing an undocumented immigrant in his home or was currently doing so.
During a conversation with the progressive group Blue Wave New Jersey, Murphy said he would open his residence to allow someone who is not a U.S. citizen to live there.
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“I don’t want to get into too much detail, but there is someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to,” Murphy said. “And we said, you know what? Let’s have her live at our house above our garage. And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
Local newspaper group NJ Advance Media reported Monday that, while the governor’s office declined to comment, a source familiar with the situation told them that the person involved had legal status and that no one ever actually lived at Murphy’s residence.
The story gained attention Monday, Feb. 3, as conservative outlet Fox News and local talk radio station New Jersey 101.5 reported on the remarks, suggesting Murphy was breaking the law.
New Jersey Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson told local politics blog Insider NJ, “The governor thinks he’s above the law. Instead of enforcing our duly enacted laws, he’s breaking them and telling others to do the same. It’s outrageous.”
President Donald Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, tasked with leading the administration’s mass deportation effort, said in December that knowingly harboring someone who is in the country illegally is a violation of federal law.
New Jersey blocks police officers, corrections officers and prosecutors from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on cases involving non-criminal migrants following a 2018 order from Murphy’s administration.
Murphy faces term limits and will leave office in January 2026.
