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Protect immigrants 'at all costs?' NJ Democratic governor candidates spar over how far to go.
By
David Brand
Published May 12, 2025
Modified May 12, 2025
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Islam Dogru/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
By
David Brand
Published May 12, 2025
Modified May 12, 2025
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Five New Jersey Democrats running to be the Garden State‘s next governor laid out their plans for opposing President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies at a forum Monday in Newark — not far from ongoing protests over a controversial immigrant detention center, where one candidate was arrested by federal agents just days earlier.
Monday night’s candidate discussion — moderated by WNYC’s Morning Edition host Michael Hill and NJ Spotlight News anchor Briana Vannozzi — was the first since federal agents handcuffed one of those candidates: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, whom the feds accused Friday of trespassing at the detention center, which reopened in the city earlier this month.
Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, and U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill made their cases Monday as they looked to stand out in a crowded primary race.
What voters can trust “is we’ll protect them at all costs,” said Baraka, who has opposed the detention center, run by a private contractor for the Department of Homeland Security. The Newark mayor had been protesting outside the center and seeking access to it for days, alleging its private operators haven't complied with city building inspection requirements. DHS officials maintain they have valid permits and necessary inspections have been done.
The chaotic confrontation between Baraka and federal agents — captured in videos that show congressmembers, federal law enforcement agents and others surrounding the mayor amid screaming and pushing outside the jail — punctuates a key issue in the Democratic primary: how the candidates would stand up to a presidential administration intent on cutting funds to social programs and punishing states that don’t cooperate with its mass deportation efforts and other priorities.
The candidates sparred over their records on immigration, specifically targeting Gottheimer for his vote in favor of a law that mandates the arrest and detention of undocumented immigrants charged with a range of crimes, including low-level offenses. He defended his vote as being in the interest of public safety, but still described the president’s immigration policies as out of control.
“What Donald Trump is doing is rounding up innocent, undocumented people,” Gottheimer said.
Fulop called for the state to pass legislation that limits local authorities’ ability to coordinate with federal immigration enforcement. The measure would extend and codify protections under the state attorney general’s 2018 Immigration Trust Directive.
Fulop said the measure, known as the Immigrant Trust Act, “speaks to the values of New Jersey, how you value the immigrant community.”
But Sweeney, who has opposed the legislation and pledged to “end sanctuary state status for aliens who commit violent crimes in New Jersey,” said the proposed act gives “false hope to people that they’re safe. They’re not safe.”
And Sherrill said she worries the legislation could be found unconstitutional.
‘It opens up vulnerable people to more attacks in the court,” she said. “If this goes up to the Supreme Court, which it likely will, then that overturns other state’s mandates for how they're protecting people.” But she said would continue to oppose private prisons in the Garden State.
Fulop repeatedly criticized her for her stance in one of several heated exchanges between the contenders.
But, the candidates said, the race is about more than who will stand up to the Republican controlled federal government on immigration. They discussed a range of topics, with divisions evident between the more progressive candidates — Baraka and Fulop — and the more moderate — Sherrill, Gottheimer and Sweeney — on topics like transportation and housing.
TRANSPORTATION
New Jersey is facing multiple transportation crises on its roads and rails, and even in the skies, after air traffic control and radar meltdowns at Newark Airport grounded flights for a third time in recent days Monday. The next governor will be responsible for the state’s struggling and cash-strapped NJ Transit system, where engineers on the verge of a potentially crippling strike, and with fixing New Jersey’s ailing — even sometimes sinkhole-pocked — roadways.
“We have a transit disaster on almost every level,” Sherill said. She cited her plan to build more light rail and to increase bus services.
Fulop and Baraka described their plans to cancel a $11 billion plan expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike over Newark Bay and approaching Jersey City, and invest that money in public transit.
Fulop also said he would implement a “reverse congestion pricing” plan to charge a toll to drivers leaving New York City — a response to New York’s own surcharge on commuters entering through the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels.
Sweeney called that plan “crazy.”
“ We're going to tax New Jerseyans going both ways?” Sweeney said. “It doesn't make any sense at all.”
Sweeney and the four other candidates said it was imperative to resolve the labor dispute between NJ Transit and its train engineers to stave off a potential strike, which could be called Friday.
“ New Jersey Transit doesn't run well to start with, so we cannot afford to have a strike,” he said.
Fulop specifically sided with the engineers, arguing they are “underpaid relative to Long Island [Rail Road] or their peer group.” The union representing NJ Transit engineers says it’s looking for pay parity with the LIRR, but it and NJ Transit management each sharply dispute the figures the other side’s citing in negotiations.
The conversation grew contentious over how to address problems at Newark Airport, over which a governor has little control but could influence decision-making.
Baraka said he would limit the number of planes flying into Newark. Gottheimer blasted that notion.
“ Newark Airport is key to our economy, to our families who fly out and see loved ones,” Gottheimer said. “We cannot give up on that.”
Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said she has urged the federal Department of Transportation to “surge” air traffic controllers into Newark.
HOUSING
Throughout their campaigns, the candidates have proposed ways to curb costs and increase development as the Garden State contends with rising rents and home sale prices, the nation’s highest property tax rates and what advocates estimate to be a 200,000-unit shortage of affordable homes.
Sherrill said the state’s current rules — developed under a half-century old series of court precedents known as the Mount Laurel doctrine, and requiring each municipality to develop its “fair share” of affordable housing — are not working. A newly established system for assigning towns’ requirements, intended to streamline development, have faced serious opposition in suburban towns.
“We have to come up with a new plan for it because we have had the Mount Laurel decision in place for over 50 years, and we simply don't have the housing we need right now,” she said.
She proposed tax breaks for repurposing empty commercial buildings — something that Fulop and Baraka pointed out already exist.
“These are not new ideas,” Fulop said.
“We're not utilizing them correctly,” Sherrill countered, in another testy back-and-forth.
Fulop has positioned himself as the race’s most pro-development candidate, and touted the housing he has overseen in Jersey City.
Sweeney said he would take unused dollars allocated to municipalities for affordable housing and unilaterally begin building units.
“ After a certain period of time, you can actually take them and start building housing,” he said though he didn’t say where.
Sweeney then seemed miffed by the backlash to new housing development.
“ Listen, my first house was a townhouse. It was a townhouse, and guess what? It was affordable housing. And no one complained about me moving into the neighborhood,” said Sweeney, who is white.
“Yeah, because you’re not me,” Baraka, who is Black, shot back.
EDUCATION AND CONSOLIDATION
U.S. News and World Report recently ranked New Jersey’s schools as No. 1 in the country — a level of performance supported by highest-in-the-nation property taxes, the bulk of which go to schools. But performance is closely tied to location, with urban and rural schools performing below the state average and lagging far behind richer, suburban towns
“Our schools are amazing. It is one of our great competitive advantages,” Gottheimer said. “So we got to make sure it works for everyone.”
He has made property tax cuts a priority, and said he would invest in schools through changes to the school funding formula.
Sweeney resisted criticism of his role in reforming school funding during his time as state Senate president, leading to reductions in state aid for many districts.
“ We had school districts that were getting funding for a thousand kids that weren't in the buildings,” he said. ”We signaled the school districts for years that change was coming. They didn't change, they didn't right-size the classrooms. They didn't right-size the schools.”
"The money needs to follow the kids,” he added.
He said he would review the rules, but also called for consolidation of districts to share resources — a concept backed by several candidates.
“You're not going to get people to consolidate by asking nicely,” Fulop said. “And I don't think the biggest opportunity in consolidation is really at the schools. It's at the municipalities.”
Gottheimer agreed, and said the state should incentivize towns to work together to negotiate prices and share services.
“The biggest problem: 564 municipalities and what happens? They all pay Wawa prices instead of Costco prices,” he said. “We keep paying more and more and more. And taxes keep going up and up and up.”
New Jersey’s primary elections are June 10. New Jersey Education Association President and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller will also appear on the Democratic ballot, but did not raise the $580,000 needed to qualify for public matching funds and participate in this conversation under rules set by the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.
This story has been updated with more information.
Tagged
housing
economy
new jersey
Politics
transportation
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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