New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s political foes are urging ICE agents to “pay him a visit” and even calling for his potential impeachment after he bizarrely suggested he was harboring an illegal migrant in his home.
“Phil Murphy just implicated himself in a crime! Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. It’s time for
[ICE] to pay him a visit. When I’m Governor, everyone is getting deported,” wrote Republican former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac — who’s mounting a run for governor in November — on X on Monday night.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy suggested during a boastful interview at Montclair State University on Saturday that he and his wife were housing an illegal migrant at their home and dared officials to “try and get her.” New Jersey Office of the GovernorMurphy jammed his foot squarely into his mouth during an on-stage interview at Montclair State University with liberal organization Blue Wave New Jersey on Saturday, suggesting he and his wife were housing a woman whose immigration status would run afoul of President Trump’s new enforcement regime.
“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,’” boasted the Dem gov, who can’t run again because of term limits.
He punctuated his gaffe by attempting to play tough-guy, taunting immigration officials by adding, “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
Murphy’s camp Monday attempted to walk back his clumsy remarks, insisting, “No one’s ever lived in the home” under the circumstances the governor described, according to a representative.
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is demanding that Murphy explain himself and said if he refuses, “It’s time for the legislature to begin impeachment proceedings.” Getty ImagesThe rep declined to elaborate on why Murphy, 67, who lives with his family in a massive gated compound in the wealthy suburb of Middletown, would dare the Trump administration to go after the woman at his home if she wasn’t there.
Murphy’s office declined to comment when reached by The Post on Tuesday.
Republican officials, smelling blood in the water, wasted no time in uncorking on Murphy for his unforced error.
“In light of what President Trump is doing to make our country safer, Governor Murphy’s admission that he’s housing someone who is not a US citizen is a violation of federal law if they are here illegally,” said Jack Ciattarelli, another 2025 GOP hopeful for governor, to The Post.
“Just as bad, the governor causing a confrontation for state police by daring ICE to show up is insane and the height of irresponsibility. If the governor doesn’t immediately explain himself, it’s time for the legislature to begin impeachment proceedings.”
Border czar Tom Homan said immigration officials would “look into” whether Murphy’s tough talk was true and whether it constituted a crime. APRepublican state Assemblyman Erik Peterson accused Murphy of thinking he’s “above the law” in a blistering press release and suggested authorities should “at least check on the woman’s safety” even if ICE doesn’t act.
“If Murphy wants to be a social justice warrior so badly, he should resign instead of making a mockery of his oath of office to uphold the law,” Peterson said.
In a follow-up interview with The Post, Kranjac demanded Murphy apologize and resign, insisting he’s “not suited for office” by flouting immigration law.
“He’s a social justice warrior,” Kranjac said. “We need to do what President Trump is doing and make the United States normal again. We need to make New Jersey normal.”
Kranjac said there are “hundreds of thousands” of illegal migrants in the Garden State and that Murphy is sending the wrong message.
Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, who is running for governor, said Murphy implicated himself in a crime. X / , @KranjacMarioThe loose-lipped Democrat’s ponderous revelation even landed him on the radar of Trump’s hard-nosed border czar Tom Homan, who suggested Monday that prosecution could be on the table.
“If he’s knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a violation of Title 8, United States Code 1324. I will seek prosecution or the secretary will seek prosecution,” Homan said on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
“Maybe he’s bluffing. If he’s not, we’ll deal with that,” Homan added. “It’s a foolish thing what he said, because I got note of it, won’t let it go, will look into it.”
-Additional reporting by Reuven Fenton






