The Trump administration’s hard-hitting Border Czar, Tom Homan, made it crystal clear Monday night that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s reckless defiance of federal immigration law will not go unanswered. Appearing on Fox News’ *Hannity*, Homan vowed that the administration is investigating Murphy’s shocking admission that he may be harboring an illegal immigrant—and if true, prosecution will follow.
The controversy erupted after Murphy, a far-left Democrat, made eyebrow-raising remarks on February 1, bragging that an illegal immigrant is living at his house above the garage. “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,’” Murphy boasted. In a clear attempt to taunt the Trump administration, he added, “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
As if openly defying federal law wasn’t enough, Murphy then turned to the tired and disgraceful comparison of Trump to the Nazis. “The Germans in the ’20s and ’30s got tired, they got sick of fighting, and look at the price we paid,” Murphy said, attempting to draw a line between immigration enforcement and one of history’s darkest atrocities.
Following the immediate backlash, Murphy’s office scrambled for damage control, claiming his comments had been “misinterpreted” and that he isn’t actually harboring an illegal immigrant. But the damage was done, and it caught the attention of one of the toughest lawmen in the country—Tom Homan.
Sean Hannity wasted no time calling out Murphy’s reckless behavior during his show Monday night. “Let me read a headline to you: ‘Chicago Leaders Encourage Residents to Exercise ‘Their Rights’ in Resisting Trump’s Deportation Policies,’” Hannity said before bringing up Murphy’s eyebrow-raising comments. “The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, basically admitted that he knew somebody that didn’t have full documentation that he was hiding over his garage.”
Hannity also pointed out that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is pushing legislation that would allow American citizens to sue sanctuary cities and states that harbor illegal immigrants. “Then we have Sen. Thom Tillis saying that people should have the right to sue sanctuary cities and states that aid and abet in lawbreaking,” Hannity added, before turning to Homan for his take.
And Homan did not hold back. With his signature no-nonsense style, the former ICE director tore into Murphy’s recklessness. “I think the Governor is pretty foolish saying what he said,” Homan said. “Because I got note of it, won’t let it go, we’ll look into it. And if he’s knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a violation of Title 8 of the United States Code 1324.”
Homan made it clear that if Murphy was telling the truth—and not just engaging in cheap political grandstanding—there will be consequences. “I will seek prosecution—or the Secretary will seek prosecution,” Homan warned. “So, maybe he’s bluffing. If he’s not, we’ll deal with that.”
It’s a high-stakes game of chicken, and one thing is clear: the Trump administration is not backing down. While Democrat leaders like Murphy play politics with illegal immigration, federal law enforcement is ready to hold them accountable. If Murphy thought he could score political points by daring the Trump administration to act, he may have just made a very costly mistake.
