President Donald Trump’s border czar is open to the idea of prosecuting New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who recently admitted to sheltering an illegal immigrant in his home.
Homan appeared on Fox News’s Hannity Monday night and accused Murphy of violating federal law that prohibits somebody from knowingly concealing an illegal alien.
“I will seek prosecution or the secretary will seek prosecution,” Homan said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Maybe he’s bluffing. If he’s not, we’ll deal with that,” he added. “It’s a foolish thing what he said, because I got note of it, won’t let it go, will look into it.”
Over the weekend, Murphy implied in an interview that he and his wife Tammy were sheltering an illegal immigrant above their garage.
“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. And we said, you know what? Let’s have her live at our house above our garage,” Murphy told Blue Wave New Jersey, a progressive activist group.
“And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” he added, seemingly taunting federal immigration authorities.
Murphy’s office attempted to clarify the situation Monday, telling the New York Post that his comments were about a legal resident in their social circles worries about Trump’s return to power.
“No one’s ever lived in the home” in the situation Murphy described, a spokesperson for Murphy told the outlet.
It is unclear why Murphy would want to protect the unnamed resident from deportation if she is in the U.S. legally.
Democratic lawmakers and attorneys general in blue states have strategized on how to combat the Trump administration’s crackdown on southern border crossings and violent crimes committed by illegal aliens.
The Trump administration began the mass deportation of illegal aliens on President Trump’s first day in office. Federal immigration authorities have been apprehending thousands of illegal immigrants for deportations over the first couple weeks of the new administration. Enforcement officials have focused specifically on deporting violent criminals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, has carried out raids in deep-blue cities where illegal immigrants are concentrated.
Trump has also declared an emergency at the southern border, designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and restored his “Remain in Mexico” policy for migrants with pending asylum cases.