WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted a meeting with governors at the White House, where he issued a strong warning to leaders of sanctuary states, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, urging them to comply with federal immigration enforcement.
Trump criticized states that refuse to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests, arguing that such policies protect violent criminals.
“We have 11,088 people that we know of that are murderers, that are actually murderers,” Trump said. “And I can’t imagine anybody wanting them in their state, whether a Republican or whether you’re a Democrat or whatever you may be.”
He accused some states of releasing convicted criminals to avoid the costs of incarceration.
“They let them out of jail … because it’s very expensive to have somebody in jail for a lifetime,” he said, emphasizing the need for state cooperation in transferring offenders to federal custody for deportation.
Trump also claimed that foreign governments, which had previously refused to accept deported criminals under the Biden administration, are now willing to take them back. He suggested that some nations are even sending planes to retrieve deportees.
The meeting highlighted Trump’s continued focus on immigration and public safety as he campaigns for a return to the White House in 2024.