New Jersey’s Democratic governor faces criticism from Republicans following an incident where an illegal immigrant, evading federal agents, hit the wife of a mayor on a highway.
GOP lawmakers are blaming Governor Mikie Sherrill’s sanctuary policies for the Sept. 2 accident that sent the spouse of a local Democratic official to the hospital, as reported by the New York Post.
A targeted operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was conducted on an Acura on Route 130 in North Brunswick around 7:30 a.m., according to officials in the township. Initially, the driver stopped but then accelerated, ran a red light, and collided with a Tesla, a report from News 12 New Jersey revealed.
The driver was identified as Dr. Penelope Cohen, the wife of East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen. She suffered a leg injury that is reportedly not life-threatening. After fleeing on foot, the driver was apprehended by agents and is now in custody, awaiting deportation, though his identity has not been disclosed.
ICE issued a statement explaining the events: “ICE law enforcement officers conducted a vehicle stop Sept. 2, during a targeted ICE enforcement operation in North Brunswick, New Jersey. The illegal alien refused to exit the vehicle or comply with lawful commands from ICE officers. After repeated verbal warnings and due to officer safety concerns, ICE officers relied on their training and attempted to safely remove the illegal alien.”
Republican Assemblyman Paul Kanitra connected the crash to state policies, stating to Fox News Digital, “This is just the latest in a long line of traffic incidents and vehicular incidents that wouldn’t occur if New Jersey didn’t have our sanctuary status. You kind of reap what you sow.”
Republican state Senator Mike Testa noted that counties attempting to join ICE’s 287(g) cooperation program have been excluded, suggesting that such policies have encouraged illegal activities among undocumented immigrants.
On March 25, Sherrill enacted the Immigrant Trust Directive, which restricts local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement while still allowing them to enforce criminal laws and respect judicial warrants, according to the Post.
In response, Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman shifted the blame to federal agents, posting on X that “ICE’s lawlessness is putting innocent people in harm’s way. #AbolishICE,” as per NJ Patch.
