Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s is getting blasted for her state’s “sanctuary” policies after an illegal immigrant driver fleeing a stop by Immigration and Customs Enforcement crashed into and injured a local mayor’s wife.
“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 that got codified as soon as Gov. Sherrill came into office,” Republican Assemblyman Paul Kanitra told Fox News Digital.
“We all fought against it. We told them that this would create chaos, and it seems like Democrats are unable to take accountability for their own actions,” the Point Pleasant Beach lawmaker added.
The broadside came after ICE officers conducted a targeted operation involving the driver of an Acura on Route 130 in North Brunswick on Sept. 2.
ICE said they believed the driver to be an illegal immigrant, and he refused orders to get out of the vehicle before officers attempted to remove him.
He then sped away and ran a red light before colliding with a Tesla driven by Dr. Penelope Cohen, wife of East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen, according to local accounts.
Penelope Cohen suffered a leg injury and was taken to the hospital, News 12 New Jersey reported. The Acura driver fled on foot before ICE officers apprehended him shortly afterward.
The driver has not been publicly identified. ICE said he was arrested for violating US immigration law and would remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
Kanitra argued that Sherrill and fellow Democrats have failed to recognize a connection between such incidents and the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive.
“Democrats seemingly have an inability to take accountability for their own actions here. They’re unable to even recognize the chaos that they’re creating, and they’re shouting and screaming at everybody else trying to find somebody to blame. It’s somewhat ridiculous,” Kanitra told Fox.
“You kind of reap what you sow,” he added.
Republican state Sen. Mike Testa similarly seized on the crash to attack restrictions on cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
Testa said Cape May and Monmouth counties had fought unsuccessfully for the ability to participate in ICE’s 287(g) interagency cooperation program.
“I think it has only emboldened illegal aliens to engage in illegal behavior,” Testa told Fox.
“This illegal alien was stopped lawfully by federal authorities, ran through a red light, fleeing federal authorities and unfortunately ran into the mayor of East Brunswick’s wife.”
Sherrill, who became governor in January, signed legislation March 25 codifying New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits voluntary state and local participation in federal civil immigration enforcement.
The policy generally bars New Jersey cops from stopping, questioning, arresting, searching or detaining someone solely on the basis of immigration status and restricts local participation in federal civil immigration operations.
But the directive does not prohibit New Jersey cops from enforcing state criminal laws, complying with valid judicial warrants and court orders or engaging in specified cooperation involving serious offenders.
The Post has sought comment from Sherrill, ICE, Brad Cohen and Dr. Penelope Cohen.
But in a statement to CBS News ICE said: “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. The illegal alien then proceeded to flee at a high rate of speed and collided with other vehicles.”
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