New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appeared to suggest he was housing a migrant at his home, and dared the Trump administration to do something about it.
Murphy made the statement during an interview this past weekend with Blue Wave New Jersey, a progressive grassroots organization.
“Tammy [Murphy] and I were talking about – 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,” the Democrat governor said.
“And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” Murphy added, seemingly hinting that the person may be an illegal immigrant. Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for more information, but they did not immediately respond.
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spoke over the weekend about “someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to.” (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A source close to the governor later told Fox News Digital, “No one ever actually moved into his home, so not for a month, not for a week, not for an hour, not for a day.”
The source added: “He was just talking about someone in his broader orbit who was on edge over the broader climate and was concerned. He mentioned, not even to the person, he mentioned to someone else that they could move in if they want, so I think that’s where some of the misunderstanding was.”
“The person wasn’t undocumented. The person was a legal resident of the United States of America,” the source also said.
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ICE recently conducted a worksite raid at a car wash in Philadelphia, arresting seven individuals, with six being from Mexico and one from the Dominican Republic. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Murphy’s comments came as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been conducting operations in New Jersey, most notably with a raid in Newark in late January.
“Public trust is essential to public safety. Our office has requested more information from the Trump Administration about the recent immigration enforcement action in Newark so we have a clear understanding of the facts of this case,” a spokesperson for Murphy told PIX11 following that operation.
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy and Gov. Phil Murphy speak at the 15th Annual Induction Ceremony for the New Jersey Hall of Fame on Oct. 29, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. Gov. Murphy recently said he and his wife are letting an immigrant live on their property. (Bryan Bedder/Variety via Getty Images)
ICE did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in December that knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal immigrant from ICE is a “violation of the law.”
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
