New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is facing a federal investigation and a possible arrest after boasting that he housed an illegal immigrant in his home.
Murphy dared federal agents to come after him — and the Trump administration has accepted his offer. Murphy is now reportedly dealing with a subpoena and other very serious legal woes.
As the initial part of the criminal probe, the FBI has issued a subpoena to Murphy and is interviewing at least four witnesses in connection with comments the Democratic governor made in February about knowingly sheltering an illegal immigrant at his home.
The investigation comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conduct raids across the country under President Donald Trump’s renewed deportation efforts.
Murphy made his controversial statements during a public discussion with Blue Wave New Jersey, a liberal grassroots organization, at Montclair State University in February. The governor explicitly claimed to be hiding an illegal immigrant and challenged federal authorities to take action.
“Tammy and I were talking about … 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,” Murphy boasted, referring to his wife, First Lady Tammy Murphy. “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.”
Just days later, Murphy’s office quickly tried to walk back the statements, claiming the governor had been “misinterpreted.”
A representative for Murphy told The New York Post that “no one’s ever lived in the home” illegally like Murphy described. The governor’s office later claimed Murphy was only referring to a legal resident who is a friend and was worried about Trump’s return to the White House.
Murphy lives with his family in a multi-million dollar mansion in Middletown, New Jersey.
U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba is pursuing a federal investigation, according to The New York Times. Several people with knowledge of the matter confirmed that FBI agents have previously sought to interview at least four witnesses in connection, while Murphy himself has just been subpoenaed this week.
The investigation follows a pattern by Habba of pursuing legal action against politicians in New Jersey. Since taking office, she has arrested and charged Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, though those charges were later dropped, and filed ongoing charges against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver.
When Habba first took office, she promised to investigate Murphy and New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin over the state’s illegal immigration policies. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, also vowed to look into Murphy’s comments about sheltering illegal immigrants.
Murphy has previously compared the Trump administration to the rise of Nazism in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s.
“The Germans in the ’20s and ’30s got tired, they got sick of fighting, and look at the price we paid,” Murphy said. “We cannot roll over, we cannot stop fighting. We need an intensity.”
He then complained about low Democratic voter turnout “against this guy,” referring to Trump. “I mean, my God, it’s not like we’re wondering what he’s gonna be like,” Murphy said. “We know what he’s like, and we can’t let that happen again ever, ever, ever.”
Previously deep blue New Jersey had a huge shift toward Republicans in the 2024 election. Trump received nearly 46% of the vote against Vice President Kamala Harris’s 51% in the Democratic controlled state, a massive improvement from his previous runs. In 2020, Trump only garnered about 41% of the vote against Joe Biden.
FBI agents are reportedly still interviewing witnesses as part of the ongoing investigation into Murphy’s claim. The scope and timeline of the federal inquiry remain unclear, but Murphy’s own admission of illegal activity could finally lead to his arrest.
Only time will tell.