❗ Trump declares state of emergency at Southern Border ❗ NJ is home to 2.2 million immigrants ❗ Gov. Murphy declared NJ a ‘sanctuary state’
A showdown is likely between New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the Trump administration over immigration.
One of President Donald Trump’s first official actions after returning to the White House was to declare an emergency at the U.S. Southern border with Mexico.
It is the first step toward implementing the president’s promised mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Trump has promised to deport up to one-million undocumented immigrants per year and use the U.S. military to accomplish his goal.
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New Jersey could end up being a central battle ground between the anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration, and the pro-immigration policies of New Jersey.
New Jersey’s immigrant population
The Migration Policy Institute estimates New Jersey’s immigrant population at 2.2 million people.
That makes New Jersey home to one of the largest immigration populations in the United States.
Of that number, an estimated 475,00 are in the U.S. illegally.
Another 2,600 are children of undocumented parents. They are the so-called “dreamers” and are considered U.S. citizens under the 14th Amendment.
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President Trump has indicated he could challenge birthright citizenship but eliminating it would likely require a repeal of the 14th Amendment by Congress.
New Jersey: A Sanctuary State
Prior to his re-election to a second term, Murphy vowed to make New Jersey a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.
“We’ll be a sanctuary – not just city – but state,” Murphy proclaimed.
In 2018, Murphy’s then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued the Immigrant Trust Directive.
Under the directive, Murphy banned state and local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
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It also banned local and county jail facilities from housing individuals arrested by immigration agents. The cooperative agreements dated back to the Democratic Bill Clinton administration. In 1996 a law signed by President Clinton allowed local and state law enforcement to partner with the federal government for enforcement of immigration laws.
There have been several republican led efforts to repeal New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive. All have failed.
Democrats in the legislature have introduced a bill that would codify the directive into actual state law, but the bill has been stalled in committee.
What happens now?
Immigrant rights groups have begun holding weekly meetings in an effort to educated migrants about their rights and what to do if immigration agents knock on the door.
ICE arrests Newark – Dec 2024
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Canva/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release ICE agents make arrests in Newark, NJ
Federal law supersedes any state law, but states cannot be compelled to cooperate with immigration agents.
New Jersey cannot, however, prevent teams of immigration agents from moving into the Garden State to round up undocumented individuals.
The recently passed Laken Riley Act would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
Where these individuals could be held is still an issue of much debate in New Jersey. Gov. Murphy has banned immigration detention contracts with local and county jails, but that ban is being challenged in court.
Some have speculated the Trump administration could threaten to withhold federal aid to states that refuse to aid immigration agents in their enforcement actions.
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Murphy has signaled he is willing to work with President Trump and has asked him to help end New York $9 congestion pricing toll.
“I will never back away from partnering with the Trump Administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said in his State of the State speech last week, “But just as importantly, I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested.”
Given Murphy’s and Trump’s vastly different positions on illegal immigration, the issue will surely test the relationship between the Statehouse and the White House.
NJ towns that flipped for Trump in 2024
In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, Donald Trump won 61 municipalities he had lost to Joe Biden four years earlier. Those flipped municipalities are listed below by county and show the percentage point difference between Trump and Harris and between Biden and Trump.
Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5
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FBI’s Top 5 Most Wanted violent fugitives in NJ
The FBI currently lists more than two dozen fugitives with ties to New Jersey on their ‘most wanted list.’ These are the five most violent and dangerous suspects.
Boys Wrestling: 2025 Beast of the East – Day 1, December 20, 2025
NEWARK, Del. — The 33rd Beast of the East wrestling tournament kicked off at the University of Delaware early Saturday morning and New Jersey athletes have made their mark.
Below are the quarterfinals pairings for any matchup involving a New Jersey wrestler. The quarterfinals will take place on Sunday morning at 8:30.
This post will turn into a results post following the quarterfinals. Bolded wrestlers are from New Jersey.
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Buy these game photos: We offer reprints in a variety of sizes. Open the gallery above and select “BUY IMAGE” to purchase yours now.
106 pounds
8-Stephen Bagocius, Camden Catholic vs. 1-Jack Anello, Blair
Alex Spagnuolo, Hanover Park vs. 11-Forest Rose, Immaculata
113 pounds
6-Noah Watkins, Dobyns Bennett (TN) vs. 3-Killian Coluccio, Lacey
120 pounds
Ethan Michaels, Colts Neck vs. 2-Michael Batista, Blair
126 pounds
9-Matthew Mulligan, Bergen Catholic vs. 1-Mason Jakob, Dobyns Bennett (TN)
Joey Pellicci, Paramus Catholic vs. 5-Finnegan O’Brien, Blair
132 pounds
8-Dalton Weber, Pope John vs. 1-Vinny Anello, Blair
6-Anthony DiAndrea, Watchung Hills vs. 3-Nicholas Salamone, Easton (PA)
7-Colton Hagerty, Washington Twp. vs. 2-Lukas Littleton Mascaro, Malvern Prep (PA)
138 pounds
6-Blake Boyer, Kennett (PA) vs. 3-Gino Schinina, St. Peter’s Prep
144 pounds
5-Gideon Gonzalez, Bergen Catholic vs. 4-Weston Borgers, Blair
150 pounds
Joey Petriello, Dumont vs. 1-Bo Bassett, Bishop McCort (PA)
Brooklyn Pickett, Mount St. Joseph (MD) vs. 3-Sonny Amato, Rumson-Fair Haven
157 pounds
Joey Monticello, Hanover Park vs. 2-Josiah Sykes, Skyline (VA)
165 pounds
8-Ryan Gavrish, St. John Vianney vs. 1-Melvin Miller, Bishop McCort (PA)
7-Morgan Schwarz, St. Joseph (Met.) vs. 2-Josh Piparo, St. Peter’s Prep
175 pounds
7-Chase Hetrick, Malvern Prep (PA) vs. 2-Santino Rodriguez, Don Bosco Prep
190 pounds
8-Braeden Simoneaux, NY Military Academy (NY) vs. 1-Tanner Hodgins, Howell
5-Alex Reyes, Holmdel vs. 4-Saleh Tsarni, Blair
7-Nevin Mattessich, Don Bosco vs. 2-Brayden Zuercher, Nazareth (PA)
215 pounds
5-TJ Kellas, Blair vs. 4-Tyler Palumbo, Christian Brothers
6-Rocco Salerno, Seton Hall Prep vs. 3-EJ German, Brecksville (OH)
285 pounds
5-Cael Mielnik, Blair vs. 4-Caleb Rodriguez, Bishop McCort (PA)
7-Chris Funches, Grassfield (VA) vs. 2-Mateo Vinciguerra, Woodstown
Ryan Patti covers high school football, wrestling and track & field for NJ Advance Media. He previously worked for Rivals covering college football recruiting and has worked in the industry since 2018. He…
Trees were blown down. Electrical poles were snapped. And Christmas decorations went flying off lawns.
All thanks to Friday’s intense storms, which generated wind gusts as strong as 63 mph at the High Point Monument in Sussex County, 60 mph at Teterboro Airport in Bergen County and 60 mph in Belleville in Essex County.
Those were among the highest gusts clocked across the Garden State, according to the National Weather Service and the Rutgers NJ Weather Network.
Fierce gusts also were whipping down in South Jersey and along the Jersey Shore, and triggered more than 40,000 power outages across the state Friday afternoon and Friday evening.
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Here’s a look at the highest wind gusts reported in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties on Friday:
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The Devils spent much of the night against the Utah Mammoth searching for answers on the power play, watching chances come and go, starting the game 0-for-4 with the man-advantage. That frustration finally broke when Stefan Noesen planted himself in the crease and finished in tight on Karel Vejmelka to give New Jersey the breakthrough they desperately needed.
“Great road win,” Brett Pesce said. “Didn’t have our best, myself included, felt like I hadn’t played in two months,” Brett Pesce said. “You know what, we got a win, we grinded it out, good teams find ways to get to two points.”
Noesen’s conversion provided a much-needed release on an ailing power play, and the timing made it even more significant. Not only did it snap the drought, but it also handed the Devils their first lead of the night against the Mammoth, one they would hang on to win 2-1 in Utah.
Not to be outdone, Jacob Markstrom was rock solid, allowing just a single goal to Utah, in the first period. As the Devils tried to find their footing in the game, with failed power play opportunities, and Utah pressing hard, Markstrom held the fort.
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“This one is on him tonight,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We don’t get the opportunity to hang around in the game and have big moments like we did in the third with the penalty kill and power play, if not for Marky and how held us in. We were outplayed for long stretches of the game, but it’s going to happen from time to time.”
The Devils had a gut-check moment at the end of the third period, when Dawson Mercer took a penalty in the dying minutes of the game and the Mammoth pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4. New Jersey came up with the clears and the blocks to hang on for the victory.
The Devils weren’t going to be denied the opportunity for a win, as Connor Brown explained:
“Marky deserved the win at that point, it was a bit scrambly, maybe a bit more scrambly than we would have liked but they got two extra guys on the ice, so it was nice to gut one out.”
Utah opened the game scoring with a first-period power-play goal by Daniil But, before Connor Brown tied the game in the second period, his second goal in as many games and his third in four.
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“I’m playing my brand of hockey,” Brown said. “I’m being empowered a little more, playing a little more minutes than typically have over the last couple of years and it’s leading into a little bit more confidence, little bit more plays, so just kind of running with it.”
The Devils have started to find some more stride in their game and are winning four of their last six, including two straight on the two-game road trip through Vegas and Utah.
