TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sweeney criticized former President Donald Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement, arguing that recent actions by his administration are making New Jersey less safe.
Sweeney, the former New Jersey Senate president, took to social media Sunday to denounce Trump’s firing of immigration judges amid a backlog of asylum cases. “Despite a 3.7 million case backlog in the immigration courts of people claiming asylum, Trump just fired immigration judges needed to eliminate the backlog,” Sweeney wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sweeney, who has positioned himself as a Democrat committed to border security, accused Trump of “incompetence and corruption” in handling immigration. He argued that reducing the number of judges would further strain the system, impacting public safety in New Jersey.
“I’m the Democrat running for Governor most committed to securing America’s borders — and I’m disgusted by the Trump Administration’s incompetence and corruption. Despite a 3.7 million case backlog in the immigrations courts of people claiming asylum, Trump just fired immigration judges needed to eliminate the backlog. Trump’s actions make New Jerseyans less safe,” Sweeney said.
Trump has made immigration enforcement a central theme of his 2024 campaign, vowing mass deportations if re-elected. The Biden administration has faced mounting criticism over record numbers of border crossings, with Republicans pushing for stricter measures and Democrats divided on the issue.