No one is above the law. This was the sacred mantra adopted by Democrats on Jan. 20, 2017 – possibly at 12:01 pm – and repeated constantly ever since. They didn’t mean it, obviously. What they mean is no one named Donald Trump is above the law, even if they must create new criminal offenses just for him. And now, in the latest of so many instances of Democrats themselves flouting the law, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) openly bragged about harboring an illegal alien in his home, a clear violation of United States Code 1324 (8 U.S. Code § 1324(A)). President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, had some bad news for the governor, who is now trying to backpedal, but this story, which encompasses potential repercussions for anyone else harboring illegals, is not over.
In a recent interview with Blue Wave New Jersey, Murphy said:
“Tammy [Murphy] and I were talking about – and 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. And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
Only a politician who knows he is violating federal law but wants to use semantics to attempt to cover himself would channel Kamala Harris in this way – “whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to.” What he meant, and there really is no disputing it, is that the individual in question is present in the United States illegally.
8 U.S. Code § 1324, subsection (A), (iii) states:
“(Any person who —) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation; (shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B)).”
Thus, Murphy’s violation of federal immigration law is not open to dispute, unless he made up the story, which is entirely possible. Tom Homan took note, saying he “won’t let it go” and that “we’ll look into it.” Speaking on Fox News, Tom Homan continued, “If he’s knowingly harboring, concealing an illegal alien, that’s a violation of Title Eight United States Code 1324 and I will seek prosecution, or the secretary [of Homeland Security] will seek prosecution. So, maybe he’s bluffing. If he’s not, we’ll deal with that.”
Tom Homan to Enforce the Law
It remains to be seen whether Tom Homan or Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would be willing to authorize an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on the governor’s house. That would appear to be the only sure way to determine if Murphy is indeed bluffing.
Not to mention the implied threat directed at federal agents, which seems like a matter for the Department of Justice. A representative for the governor now claims Murphy’s words were “misinterpreted.” That’s why the governor dished up the word salad about the individual’s legal status, no doubt.
Still, the law is the law, even if one happens to believe that certain laws are unjust, unfair, or unnecessary. They are “on the books.” If the governor really is harboring an illegal alien in his house, then Tom Homan has a duty to seek prosecution – because no one is above the law.
