Governor Murphy Orders State Police to Stop Working with ICE in NJ

Police officer in uniform standing near a patrol car.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has issued a directive prohibiting state police from collaborating with ICE, creating a potential showdown between state authority and federal immigration enforcement powers.

Quick Takes

Governor Murphy directed New Jersey State Police to cease cooperation with ICE and ignore administrative immigration warrants in the FBI’s NCIC system.
The directive reinforces New Jersey’s 2018 Immigrant Trust Directive, which aims to separate local policing from federal immigration enforcement.
State officers are prohibited from notifying ICE or making arrests based solely on administrative warrants for removal.
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba pushed back, stating federal executive orders must be followed in New Jersey.
The action sets up a potential constitutional conflict over state autonomy versus federal immigration authority.

Murphy Orders Halt to ICE Cooperation

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has escalated tensions with federal authorities by directing state police to stop collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The order, part of New Jersey’s “Immigrant Trust Directive” established in 2018, specifically instructs law enforcement officers to disregard ICE administrative warrants recently added to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police issued an internal memo emphasizing that these warrants should not be treated as “NCIC Hits” and officers must not contact ICE regarding these notices.

NJ Governor Defies ICE -Orders Local Police to End Cooperation with Immigration Officials https://t.co/s4nPTptMGb pic.twitter.com/RDmnaOAJUK

— Julio 🇵🇷 (@combatinsight) April 10, 2025

The directive comes after the Trump administration added more than 27,000 “Outstanding Administrative Warrants for Removal” to the NCIC system. These administrative warrants differ from criminal warrants as they are issued by immigration authorities rather than judges. Under New Jersey’s directive, state law enforcement is explicitly instructed not to act on these warrants or alert federal authorities when encountering individuals listed. This decision effectively creates a barrier between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.

Federal Pushback and Constitutional Questions

U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, immediately criticized the directive, creating a clear divide between state and federal authorities. “Let me be clear: Executive Orders will be followed and enforced in the State of New Jersey,” warned Habba. The conflict raises significant constitutional questions about the limits of state autonomy versus federal mandates, particularly in immigration enforcement. New Jersey officials maintain that the directive is necessary to preserve trust within immigrant communities and ensure public safety by encouraging cooperation with local police.

Officers are warned to comply strictly with the directive or face potential disciplinary or legal consequences. The memo specifically states that “taking law enforcement action by arresting a subject based solely on an ‘Outstanding Administrative Warrant’ would violate the Attorney General’s Immigration Trust Directive.” This places New Jersey law enforcement in the difficult position of navigating between state directives and federal expectations during routine police work.

Murphy’s History of Immigration Activism

This isn’t Governor Murphy’s first controversial stance on immigration issues. In earlier statements, Murphy claimed he personally intervened with his security detail to potentially prevent ICE agents from conducting operations near his Middletown mansion. He described visiting a neighborhood he believed was at risk of an immigration enforcement sweep, saying his presence might have deterred federal agents from carrying out their duties.

More recently, Murphy faced criticism after appearing to suggest he housed an illegal immigrant on his property, prompting attention from Trump border czar Tom Homan, who suggested such actions could potentially lead to prosecution under U.S. immigration law. The governor has consistently positioned New Jersey as resistant to stricter federal immigration enforcement while maintaining that the state would seek common ground where possible.

Implications for Law Enforcement

The practical effect of Murphy’s directive is that New Jersey police officers encountering individuals with administrative removal warrants in the NCIC system must ignore those alerts. Colonel Callahan’s memo explicitly instructs officers that “these Administrative Warrant messages appear in NCIC in a method that ALL members are to note they are NOT to be broadcast as ‘NCIC Hits.'” This creates a significant divide in how state officers interact with a federal database traditionally used for coordinating law enforcement across jurisdictions.

As immigration remains a central issue in national politics, New Jersey’s stance sets the stage for a potential legal and political showdown over immigration enforcement authority. The directive highlights the growing tension between state-level policies focused on immigrant community trust and federal efforts to increase immigration enforcement nationwide, creating uncertain territory for law enforcement agencies caught between competing mandates.