Homan on N.J. Gov. Migrant Dare: I'll 'Seek Prosecution'

Border czar Tom Homan has threatened to bring charges against New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, after the Garden State leader suggested he was harboring an illegal immigrant in his home and dared federal authorities "to try to get her."

"If he's knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that's a violation of Title 8, United States Code 1324," Homan said on Fox News' "Hannity" on Monday night. "I will seek prosecution, or the secretary will seek prosecution."

"Maybe he's bluffing. If he's not, we'll deal with that," Homan added. "It's a foolish thing what he said, because I got note of it, won't let it go, will look into it."

Homan's threat of prosecution comes after Murphy, a Democrat, said over the weekend that he was allowing a female migrant to live at his home amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"I don't want to get into too much detail, but there's someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to, and we said, 'You know what, let's have her live at our house above our garage,'" Murphy said on Saturday at an event hosted by "Blue Wave New Jersey" at Montclair State University. "And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her."

On Monday, the governor's office tried to walk back his remarks, telling New Jersey 101.5 that Murphy's words were "misinterpreted," adding that no one was residing at his multimillion-dollar property in Middletown, New Jersey, under those circumstances.

Murphy's spokesperson said the individual he was referring to is residing in the U.S. legally and was "consumed by fear" over Trump's return to the White House.

Rather than an offer of shelter, the governor's comments were a "human reaction" to the idea of protecting someone who felt threatened, the spokesperson added.

Murphy has prohibited state and local agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities as they carry out Trump's promised deportation raids.

Trump's second administration has vowed to come down on sanctuary jurisdictions and has directed federal prosecutors to investigate officials for potential obstruction of immigration enforcement.

A recent Justice Department memo cautioned state and local governments on the legal consequences they could face if they "threaten to impede" federal action on immigration.

ICE reportedly rounded up more than 5,500 criminal illegal migrants during the first week of the high-profile raids, which took place in cities across the country.

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