Acting US District Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba is opening an investigation into Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy over his order for state law enforcement to refrain from assisting federal immigration enforcement officers, according to reports.
Habba, former personal lawyer and spokesperson for President Trump, announced the impending investigation on Fox News’ “Hannity” Thursday night — slamming Murphy and NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin over an order to state police that prevents officers from carrying out or assisting in warrants listed in federal databases.
“And unfortunately, I will announce on your show tonight, Sean, and I want it to be a warning for everybody, that I have instructed my office today to open an investigation into Governor Murphy, to open an investigation into Attorney General Platkin, who also instructed the state police not to assist any of our federal agencies that are under my directions,” Habba told Sean Hannity on his eponymous show.
“That will no longer stand. [US Attorney General] Pam Bondi has made it clear and so has our president that we are to take all criminals, violent criminals and criminals out of this country and to completely enforce federal law,” added Habba, who assumed off as US District Attorney in the Garden State on March 24.
“And anybody who does get in that way in the way of what we are doing — which is not political, it is simply against crime — will be charged in the state of New Jersey for obstruction, for concealment,” Habba said, adding in conclusion, “And I will come after hard.”
Habba further claimed that state police officers in New Jersey have been instructed by state officials not to make phone calls to ICE when they run a record check and see a valid warrant for deportation.
“This is putting the people in my state in jeopardy,” Habba said.
The Trump acolyte was referring to the state’s recently reemphasized Immigration Trust Directive, which mandates that state law enforcement officers are not to participate in federal immigration enforcement.
Murphy and Platkin recently pointed to the 2018 policy in the wake of the federal government adding 27,000 “Outstanding Administrative Warrants for Removal from the United States,” according to Shore News Network.
Earlier this year, Murphy bragged about thwarting ICE agents who were attempting to make apprehensions near his $10 million Middletown mansion.
“There was a time when ICE was just randomly showing up on street corners and apprehending… brothers and sisters from the immigrant community,” Murphy said at a press conference right after Trump was elected to a second term.
The governor then went on to say that he tried — and allegedly succeeded — to prevent a raid by showing up to the location with his taxpayer-funded bodyguards.
“I just went there one night with my detail and just hung out there,” Murphy nonchalantly stated, adding, “Whether that scared them off or not I don’t know but it’s an example of a small step that we’re willing to try anything if it’s contrary to our values.”
Murphy also previously boasted that he was harboring illegal immigrants in his home in comments he attempted to later walk back.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail, but there’s 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 said at a public discussion at Montclair State University back in February.
“And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” Murphy taunted at the event before comparing the current illegal immigration crackdown to Nazi Germany.
“The Germans in the ‘20s and ‘30s got tired, they got sick of fighting, and look at the price we paid,” Murphy said at the time.
