Madelyn Hoffman: “Governor Murphy Lacks Backbone on Immigration Issues”

As a long-time champion of social justice, Madelyn Hoffman, the Green Party of New Jersey’s candidate for Governor, strongly reaffirms her support of New Jersey’s immigrant community after the recent renewal of a contract between ICE and private company, CoreCivic, at its detention facility in Elizabeth. The renewal comes as ICE continues to show its true colors as an inherently inhumane function of government, regardless of which political party holds power, leading migrants to sue the Biden administration over substandard conditions at border detention centers for migrant children.

It also comes as over the last nine months, immigrants, their lawyers, and activists alike have been engaged in a prolonged struggle to fight for the closure of ICE detention centers, not only in Elizabeth, but also in Hackensack, Kearny, and Newark. In recent months, some prominent organizations have signaled support toward bill A5307 and its corresponding bill S3361, which would prevent new contracts from being signed between local governments and ICE while doing absolutely nothing to address the current contracts. In a statement spearheaded by Hoffman and put out on March 24th, a coalition of groups firmly rooted in the immediate abolition of ICE in New Jersey and nationally put out a statement that expressed discontent with the clamoring of certain immigrant rights groups behind what the signatories of the statement believed to be a weak bill for its lack of addressing current contracts with ICE. The bill passed both houses of the legislature, and it now awaits Murphy’s signature.

Madelyn Hoffman has been, and plans to continue attacking Murphy and the state legislature from the left on this issue, accepting no tokens as a substitute for the complete severing of ties between the state and ICE. Hoffman has consistently been showing up to actions outside detention facilities in New Jersey since last fall. Two weeks ago, Hoffman stood outside the Hudson County Jail in Kearny with organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation who show up weekly to communicate with migrant detainees by shouting and exchanging phone numbers from the railroad tracks parallel to the jail. As a result of these exchanges, the issue is increasingly emotionally charged for Hoffman, who believes the Governor has been trying to sweep it under the rug.

Governor Murphy promised immigrants a lot in his run for Governor. Most importantly however, he promised sanctuary. Immigrants do not feel safe in New Jersey so long as ICE operates here.

Additionally, the amount of COVID-19 relief in the passed state budget for immigrants and other excluded workers from COVID stimulus, an amount of $40 million dollars, fell far short of the need of the migrant community in New Jersey, and is another knife in the back of the immigrant communities that led Murphy to election in the first place.

On June 29th, the day after Governor Murphy was the target of a migrant-led protest that blocked three lanes of rush hour, north bound traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the day in which he signed the budget into effect, Murphy even hinted at more money coming for excluded workers, with over a month and a half going by and no words since.

Murphy proves time and time again however that he is a politician of little backbone to support New Jersey immigrant communities on a consistent basis. We are not moved or appeased by hollow victories, and will continue to fight for the liberation of all detained migrants and the fair and humanizing treatment of immigrants living in New Jersey.

Madelyn Hoffman’s campaign team, which has attracted a team of over 50 high school and college aged interns and volunteers, will continue to target Murphy with campaigning on social media and support at protests around the state, with hope that it leads to building a true left wing alternative in November’s General election. Sign up to volunteer here. To donate and help Team Hoffman/Warburton collect the herculean $490,000 necessary to debate Murphy and his Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, click here.

For more on Madelyn Hoffman’s plan for social justice, visit: https://hoffmanforgovnj.com/platform/social-and-racial-justice/

Madelyn Hoffman’s campaign can be followed on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.