TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Paul Kanitra says his office has uncovered what he describes as approximately 100,000 people living in the United States illegally who have obtained New Jersey driver’s licenses after months of public records requests and research, with a broader report on the costs of illegal immigration scheduled for release in two weeks.
In a post on X, Kanitra said his office spent months filing public records requests and challenging state agencies before obtaining the information. He called the findings “just the tip of the iceberg” and said the upcoming report will also examine housing costs, emergency room utilization and state spending related to illegal immigration.
“We’re releasing our new and updated ‘Report on the Cost of Illegal Aliens to New Jersey’ that lays out exactly how we broke this dangerous situation wide open,” Kanitra wrote.
Report expected to expand on immigration costs
According to Kanitra, the report will argue that illegal immigration has contributed to rising housing prices, increased demand on hospital emergency rooms and additional state spending to counter federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“You work hard. You follow the rules. You pay your taxes. So why is so much of YOUR money going to people who broke the law getting here?” Kanitra said in the post.
The claims and underlying methodology have not yet been publicly released, and the report is expected to provide additional documentation when it is published.
Questions remain about voter registration
Kanitra’s announcement also raises questions that remain unanswered, including whether any of the individuals his office identified as having obtained New Jersey driver’s licenses are registered to vote or have cast ballots in New Jersey elections.
Neither Kanitra’s office nor the State of New Jersey has released evidence showing how many, if any, of those individuals appear on the state’s voter rolls. Likewise, no public investigation has confirmed or disproven whether there is any overlap between the driver’s license data cited by Kanitra and New Jersey’s voter registration database.
The questions come days after Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration acknowledged that approximately 6,600 individuals who were legally ineligible to vote were mistakenly added to the state’s voter rolls because of what officials described as a software validation error. State officials said roughly 400 ballots were cast before the registrations were identified.
The Trump administration disputes Sherrill’s admission, saying it suspects that number could be as high as 35,000.
The software vendor involved has publicly disputed suggestions that the error rested solely with its system, arguing that voter eligibility verification ultimately remains the responsibility of the State of New Jersey.
What happens next
Kanitra said his full report will be released in approximately two weeks and is expected to include supporting data and documentation for the claims outlined in his announcement.
Whether state officials respond to the report or conduct additional reviews of voter registration records and driver’s license data remains to be seen.
Why it matters
The debate over illegal immigration has become a central issue in New Jersey politics ahead of the next legislative session. While Kanitra’s forthcoming report is expected to intensify that discussion, key questions—including whether any of the individuals identified in the driver’s license records are registered to vote or participated in elections—remain unanswered pending additional public disclosure or investigation.
It also matters because New Jersey is experiencing record-level increases in auto insurance. Many fear that increase is directly attributed to the sharp rise in incidents statewide where undocumented migrants are involved in crashes and crimes without insurance and, in many cases, without licenses.
