New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Signed Immigration Protection Bill, But Left Two Others on the Cutting Room Floor in Last Hours of Office.
As he left office on Tuesday, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill aimed at developing policies to protect immigrants at "sensitive locations" such as schools, hospitals, courthouses, and houses of worship. The Safe Communities Act is designed to limit federal immigration officers from operating at those locations.
However, in his final act as governor, Murphy vetoed two other immigrant-protection measures, citing concerns that the bills would open the state up to lawsuits and jeopardize billions of dollars of federal funding. Immigration advocates have criticized Murphy for what they see as an overly cautious approach, arguing that he was bowing too far to President Donald Trump's administration.
The first bill Murphy vetoed, known as the Immigrant Trust Directive codification bill, would have officially enshrined the existing directive in law. However, Murphy argued that the bill went beyond the existing policy and could lead to new lawsuits. The existing directive has withstood previous challenges in federal court, but Murphy warned that new lawsuits could put the existing policies at risk.
The second bill, the Privacy Protection Act, would have prohibited state government agencies and healthcare facilities from sharing sensitive personal information with federal authorities. However, Murphy said that the bill included a "drafting oversight" that he was not aware of during the legislative process or his initial review of the bill. He argued that the bill could be construed to conflict with federal law and jeopardize billions of dollars in federal funding.
Immigration advocates have called on the state Legislature and new Governor Mikie Sherrill to establish data privacy protections and further limit state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Garden State is home to an estimated 565,800 undocumented immigrants, according to data from the Center for Migration Studies.
The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, but New Jersey was not among the list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" identified by the Trump administration last year. However, the state has some policies restricting state and local police cooperation with federal law enforcement, including the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive, which largely limits state and local police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
One of the advocates, Nedia Morsy, executive director of Make the Road New Jersey, criticized Murphy for his cautious approach. "We cannot obey in advance out of fear of what Trump might do," she said. "We have to use every tool and every bit of leverage we have to protect our neighbors."
The vetoed bills have left immigration advocates worried that their efforts to protect immigrant communities in the state will be compromised without new legislation being passed by the Legislature.
As he left office on Tuesday, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill aimed at developing policies to protect immigrants at "sensitive locations" such as schools, hospitals, courthouses, and houses of worship. The Safe Communities Act is designed to limit federal immigration officers from operating at those locations.
However, in his final act as governor, Murphy vetoed two other immigrant-protection measures, citing concerns that the bills would open the state up to lawsuits and jeopardize billions of dollars of federal funding. Immigration advocates have criticized Murphy for what they see as an overly cautious approach, arguing that he was bowing too far to President Donald Trump's administration.
The first bill Murphy vetoed, known as the Immigrant Trust Directive codification bill, would have officially enshrined the existing directive in law. However, Murphy argued that the bill went beyond the existing policy and could lead to new lawsuits. The existing directive has withstood previous challenges in federal court, but Murphy warned that new lawsuits could put the existing policies at risk.
The second bill, the Privacy Protection Act, would have prohibited state government agencies and healthcare facilities from sharing sensitive personal information with federal authorities. However, Murphy said that the bill included a "drafting oversight" that he was not aware of during the legislative process or his initial review of the bill. He argued that the bill could be construed to conflict with federal law and jeopardize billions of dollars in federal funding.
Immigration advocates have called on the state Legislature and new Governor Mikie Sherrill to establish data privacy protections and further limit state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Garden State is home to an estimated 565,800 undocumented immigrants, according to data from the Center for Migration Studies.
The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, but New Jersey was not among the list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" identified by the Trump administration last year. However, the state has some policies restricting state and local police cooperation with federal law enforcement, including the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive, which largely limits state and local police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
One of the advocates, Nedia Morsy, executive director of Make the Road New Jersey, criticized Murphy for his cautious approach. "We cannot obey in advance out of fear of what Trump might do," she said. "We have to use every tool and every bit of leverage we have to protect our neighbors."
The vetoed bills have left immigration advocates worried that their efforts to protect immigrant communities in the state will be compromised without new legislation being passed by the Legislature.
The fact that Governor Phil Murphy prioritized avoiding potential lawsuits over passing comprehensive immigrant protection measures is quite perplexing 
. One can't help but wonder if his cautious approach was motivated by a desire to maintain a harmonious relationship with the Trump administration 
. I mean, what's a few billion dollars in federal funding compared to the well-being of 565,800 undocumented immigrants living in New Jersey? 
he signed this bill but then VETOED 2 other ones that would've helped so much!! i mean i get it about lawsuits and funding but like come on 
these ppl who have lived in nj their whole lives are still scared to be seen by the cops because of trumps policies 
and now murphy is leaving office w/ a bill that's kinda meh 
we need more protections for those undocumented immigrants who just wanna live in peace 
. I think Governor Murphy made a big mistake by leaving those two bills on the cutting room floor. Like, what's more important than protecting immigrants and their rights? It feels like he was just trying to avoid some controversy and didn't think through the bigger picture. The fact that immigration advocates are worried about their efforts being compromised is just, like, so sad 
. Can't we just have a system in place where everyone feels safe and respected? 
I'm hoping that Governor Sherrill will take a different approach and prioritize these issues more urgently 
. They're being ignored like they don't matter or something. It's like the government is trying to keep tabs on people and control their every move 
. I'm not buying it, man. There's gotta be more to this story than what we're seeing right now 
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. The Safe Communities Act is a good start, but why can't he just take a stand and veto those other bills too instead of playing it safe 
? I'm all for protecting immigrant communities, but this is more about playing politics than actually making progress 
.
. i mean i get it, you don't wanna mess with trump's admin, but can't he just take a chance every once in a while? 
especially make the road new jersey which has been pushing for more protections. maybe sherrill will do better 
but at the same time its like he was too scared to sign those other bills 
makes me wonder if thats what trump wanted all along 
so phil murphy just signed a bill protecting immigrants at sensitive locations, but he decided to axe two other important ones... i guess it's better than nothing, right? 
. immigration advocates are right to be worried - what's gonna happen next? will the legislature step up and pass some real protections? 
just saw that NJ gov Phil Murphy signed a bill protecting immigrants at sensitive locations, but cut two other important ones from the bill 
now its up to governor Mikie Sherrill and the legislature to pass new laws ASAP 
. it's just so frustrating when politicians like him don't put the needs of their constituents first 
. Not havin' them spelled out in law is like leavin' 'em vulnerable to gettin' changed or rolled back by a new governor 
I think about the countless immigrants who are already living in our state, contributing to our communities and our economy, and yet they still face uncertainty and fear.
. And what's with the veto on the Privacy Protection Act? It's not like we're talkin' 'bout free rein here, we just wanna keep people safe and private