NJ considered allocating $5 million for migrant ‘influx’ but never followed through: report
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration reportedly considered a proposal to set aside $5 million in federal COVID-19 aid for an “influx” of migrants traveling from the southern border but never followed through.
The proposal obtained by Politico was set out in a June application to use relief funds and revealed that the money would go toward a “rapid response plan” after the Trump-era border restriction Title 42 was lifted.
The application gave a glimpse into Murphy’s plan if the migrant crisis escalated: It aimed to use the cash for food, shelter and the implementation of a “migrant task force.”
Twenty-six buses carrying about 1,200 migrants from the southern border have been sent to train stations in New Jersey in the past week, Murphy said Thursday at an unrelated press conference.
Despite this, Murphy spokesperson Tyler Jones confirmed to the publication that “to date, no American Rescue Plan funds have been distributed for this purpose” and plans for it to resurface remain unclear.
The Democratic governor, who previously insisted that New Jersey would be a “sanctuary state” under his watch, has instead been sending the migrants who have arrived recently in the Garden State on trains to New York City.
City lawmakers lambasted Murphy for washing his hands of the out-of-control migrant mess.
“Hypocrisy, thy name is Murphy,” council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) told the Post.
“Spare us the woke virtue signaling, Governor. At least some of us are willing to say we don’t want to pay for this problem anymore.”
Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) said “it’s nothing new that they’re shipping them to us.”
“What’s surprising is that we’re not shipping them to Washington,” he added.
“We should say there’s no room here at all. This faucet is continually open and there’s no sense that anyone is working to stop it.”
The Title 42 policy, which started under the Trump administration and continued until May 2023, allowed asylum seekers to be turned away at the southern border on public health grounds.
While the pandemic-era policy was in place, that happened an estimated 2 million times.
The application, signed by the state Department of Human Services’ acting chief financial officer at the time, said that “border arrivals are expected to increase and NJ is on the top list of states for migrant arrivals.”
“This plan has been put in place in the event NJ receives an influx of migrant arrivals by bus or other means,” the application stated.
The funds would be used to help coordinate “mass shelter activities including shelter, food, crisis counseling and as needed wrap-around social services for newly arrived individuals.”
“Funds will be utilized to support these activities in the event this plan is activated,” the application said.
The New Jersey application also mentions a “migrant task force” put together by the governor’s office, although this has not been publicly acknowledged, according to Politico.
The sum of money is a pittance in comparison to what other Democrat-controlled governments have spent on the migrant crisis.
New York City is expected to spend a total of $12 billion on migrants over the course of three fiscal years, but said federal assistance has fallen short.
When asked by a reporter whether he had a plan to deal with more migrants, Murphy simply stated: “There is a plan in place, and that is that New York City has the federal resources in place.”
Mayor Eric Adams’ spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said that while the administration is “grateful for the help our federal partners have provided thus far, simply put, it’s not enough.”
“We need meaningful financial help, expedited work pathways, and a national resettlement strategy,” she said.
“New York City has led the nation in responding to this national humanitarian crisis, providing compassion, care, shelter, and vital services to more than 164,500 migrants who have come through our care since spring 2022.”
While the federal government has committed $150 million total to New York City to assist with this crisis, approximately $40 million has been received.
More than 25,000 work authorization, asylum and TPS applications have been submitted to the city with the federal government helping with a mere 3,000 applications.
The Post has reached out to Murphy — who on Wednesday called the migrant arrivals by bus from Texas a “manageable situation” — but did not get an immediate response.
