New Jersey Grapples With Growing Number Of Migrants, Seeks Federal Aid

💲 New Jersey is trying to figure out what to do with migrants arriving from Texas

💲Murphy once called it “manageable”

💲Now Murphy is asking for massive federal funding to deal with migrants staying in NJ

When migrants began arriving in New Jersey on busses from Texas earlier this month, Gov. Phil Murphy called it “a manageable situation.”

At the time, he stressed that most were not staying in New Jersey. Instead, they were taking New Jersey Transit into New York City. That was a good thing, he said, because “that’s where the federal money is.”

In the weeks that have followed Murphy has admitted that “some” of those migrants have been opting to stay in New Jersey.

How many migrants are in NJ?

Murphy won’t say.

It has apparently grown to a number large enough that the administration is trying to figure out what to do with them and how to pay for it.

Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners Director Jeff Kuhl says the state is considering the use of the closed Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital to process migrants.

He did not disclose the source of the information or when the plan would begin at the hospital that was closed in 2012.

The Murphy administration has not confirmed any plans, but a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police told New Jersey 101.5 the facility was identified in the past as a potential housing site should the need arise to shelter a mass group of individuals, not limited to migrants, but also including weather-related events or large-scale emergencies.

Murphy seeks money for migrants

Gov. Murphy is now asking President Joe Biden’s administration for $1.4 billion in federal funding to deal with an influx of migrants.

Murphy, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and several other Democratic governors are demanding funding and resources to deal with migrants arriving in their states.

In a letter to the Biden administration, Murphy and his colleagues say they “lack the vast coordinated infrastructure needed to respond to the humanitarian and public safety concerns of those seeking lawful entry into the United States.”

Without congressional action and funding, they argue, “States and cities cannot indefinitely respond to the subsequent strain on state and local resources.”

The flood of migrants into New York City has severely drained resources to the point where Mayor Eric Adams says it will “destroy” his city. He has been demanding more help from Washington for months.

A sanctuary state?

Murphy, in the past, has talked about New Jersey being a sanctuary state and has been supportive of both receiving and helping migrants newly arrived to the United State.

More recently, Murphy has waffled when confronted with the enormous costs involved with actually providing such sanctuary.

Last June, the state was planning to ask permission to use millions in pandemic relief money to provide services and create a “migrant task force,” according to a report in Politico.

That application was never submitted, and there does not appear to be such a task force.

Murphy also pushed back on a reported plan to use part of Atlantic City International Airport to house an overflow of migrants, calling the plan not feasible.

As busses started arriving from Texas this month, Murphy has also demanded that bus operators give the state at least 32-hours notice before their arrival in New Jersey.

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