Murphy brushed off Habba’s warning and doubled down on New Jersey’s immigrant protections.
Trenton, NJ – After months of silence, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has publicly responded to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s threat to investigate him for his state’s immigration policies.
Murphy brushed off a fiery threat from Trump attorney Alina Habba, who vowed to open a criminal investigation into the New Jersey leader over immigration policy, calling the warning a political stunt and reaffirming the state’s long-standing legal framework separating local law enforcement from federal immigration enforcement.
“We haven’t heard anything about it since,” Murphy said.
The governor said New Jersey continues to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration issues, including working with ICE when criminal charges are involved even after an illegal alien killed a mother and child in Lakewood.
That immigrant, Raul Luna-Perez was driving drunk. He had been arrested three times prior, once nearly killing a Red Bank cop in a drunk driving near-miss with a police cruiser. Murphy maintains that Luna-Perez’s case, which includes multiple releases for DWI and one for domestic violence, saying that the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive has nothing to do with that alien’s criminal matters.
He stressed that his administration does not interfere with deportation proceedings but also does not allow local police to serve as federal immigration agents.
Murphy cited the 2018 Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy that bars state and local officers from questioning residents solely based on immigration status, while still allowing cooperation with ICE on criminal cases.
Murphy pushed back on the tone of Habba’s remarks but said the underlying principle—removing violent offenders—was something everyone should support. However, he warned against conflating undocumented status with criminal behavior, noting that New Jersey has built its reputation as one of the safest and most diverse states by encouraging trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
“If you’ve committed a crime, we’re coming at you,” Murphy said. “But if you haven’t, that’s not our job.” He also noted that New Jersey’s policy has been upheld in federal courts, including by a Trump-appointed judge. The Immigrant Trust Directive, he explained, allows undocumented residents to report crimes without fear of deportation, fostering community safety.
Murphy reiterated that he had received no official communication from federal authorities or Habba’s office since the televised statement. He also took care to distinguish between public safety concerns and what he suggested were political messages cloaked in legal threats, saying he hoped such rhetoric was not aimed at stigmatizing communities based on race or immigration background.
While Habba said anyone obstructing federal immigration law could be charged with concealment and obstruction, Murphy maintained that New Jersey has always drawn a clear legal boundary between federal and state responsibilities. “We don’t stand in the feds’ way,” he said, “but we also don’t do their job for them.”
He closed by defending New Jersey’s immigrant communities, pointing to their contributions and the state’s demographic diversity as a point of pride, not vulnerability.
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Key Points
- Alina Habba threatened to investigate Murphy for obstruction over NJ immigration policy
- Murphy dismissed the warning and defended the state’s 2018 Immigrant Trust Directive
- The governor emphasized cooperation with ICE on criminal matters while protecting non-criminal residents