Yesterday, Leah reported on Trump Border Czar Tom Homan’s response to a strange illegal immigration-related boast from New Jersey’s Democratic Governor. Phil Murphy had stated publicly that he and his wife were harboring an illegal immigrant on their property, and basically dared federal law enforcement to do anything about it. Before we get to the ridiculous walk back from Murphy’s staff — and in case you think I might be mischaracterizing his remarks, or that Homan’s reply was overblown — watch this for yourself. The governor says that he and his wife decided to offer an illegal immigrant in their family’s orbit refuge “at our house, above our garage,” taunting ICE by adding, “good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her:”
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Says He’s Allowing An Immigrant To Live At His House: “Good Luck To The Feds Coming In To Try To Get Her”
More context – https://t.co/ohNovUwblM
“And we said, you know what? Let’s have her live at our house above our garage. And good luck to the feds coming… pic.twitter.com/xuPeGHZaLk
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) February 3, 2025
As referenced above, here was Homan’s retort:
JUST IN: Border Czar Tom Homan says he plans on going after NJ Governor Phil Murphy who taunted the Trump admin when he revealed that he was housing an illegal immigrant.
Murphy: We are housing an illegal above our garage. Good luck to the Feds who will try to get her.
Homan:… pic.twitter.com/a9JmGp5Nmo
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 4, 2025
“I won’t let it go. We’ll look into it. If he’s knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien… we will seek prosecution,” Homan said. Apparently realizing after the fact that it’s maybe a bad idea to publicly thump your chest about the illegal immigrant you’re harboring at your house — especially as a sitting governor — Team Murphy launched into damage control mode:
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office furiously tried to backpedal Monday after he boasted that he had opened his home to a migrant and taunted the Trump administration “to try to get her.’’ A rep told The Post that the loose-lipped Jersey leader had been “misinterpreted” and that no such situation had occurred — even though Murphy had dared the feds to come after the migrant…His incendiary comments created a firestorm, forcing a representative to try to walk them back to The Post. Murphy was just referring to a legal resident who is in his circle of friends and was worried about President Trump’s return to the White House, the governor’s rep said.“No one’s ever lived in the home” under those circumstances that the governor described, the representative insisted. The rep did not explain why Murphy, who lives with his family in a mansion in Middletown, NJ, would dare the Trump administration to go after the woman at his home if she wasn’t there.
Why, indeed, would Murphy dare the feds to come get a woman living on his property if she wasn’t living there? And why would the feds be coming after her at all if she’s a legal resident of the United States? The most obvious explanations for this strange kerfuffle are (a) Murphy lied and made up a story in order to make himself look tough and “resistance”-minded against Trump — or (b) Murphy foolishly told the truth about this (also to make himself look tough and “resistance”-minded against Trump), forcing his staff to feverishly backtrack and deny reality, to try to dissuade someone like Homan for looking into this further or calling Murphy’s bluff. The follow-up explanation makes no sense at all. What an idiotic, self-inflicted mess. Republicans, you might say, are “pouncing:”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s political foes are urging ICE agents to “pay him a visit” and even calling for his potential impeachment after he bizarrely suggested he was harboring an illegal migrant in his home. “Phil Murphy just implicated himself in a crime! Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. It’s time for [ICE] to pay him a visit. When I’m Governor, everyone is getting deported,” wrote Republican former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac — who’s mounting a run for governor in November — on X on Monday night…Republican officials, smelling blood in the water, wasted no time in uncorking on Murphy for his unforced error. “In light of what President Trump is doing to make our country safer, Governor Murphy’s admission that he’s housing someone who is not a US citizen is a violation of federal law if they are here illegally,” said Jack Ciattarelli, another 2025 GOP hopeful for governor, to The Post.
“Just as bad, the governor causing a confrontation for state police by daring ICE to show up is insane and the height of irresponsibility. If the governor doesn’t immediately explain himself, it’s time for the legislature to begin impeachment proceedings.” Republican state Assemblyman Erik Peterson accused Murphy of thinking he’s “above the law” in a blistering press release and suggested authorities should “at least check on the woman’s safety” even if ICE doesn’t act. “If Murphy wants to be a social justice warrior so badly, he should resign instead of making a mockery of his oath of office to uphold the law,” Peterson said. In a follow-up interview with The Post, Kranjac demanded Murphy apologize and resign, insisting he’s “not suited for office” by flouting immigration law. “He’s a social justice warrior,” Kranjac said. “We need to do what President Trump is doing and make the United States normal again. We need to make New Jersey normal.”
Murphy won a much closer-than-expected re-election victory in 2021, narrowly edging out his Republican opponent, who had been seen as a heavy underdog. The 2024 presidential race was also much closer than Democrats would have liked in New Jersey, with Kamala Harris edging Donald Trump by just six points. Relatedly, I’ll leave you with this:
NEW – New Jersey voter registration- February
🔴 Republicans: +10,480
🔵 Democrats: -2,433@MichaelPruser— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) February 3, 2025
