Attorney General Downplays Immigration Feud With Monmouth Sheriff

FREEHOLD, NJ — Political rivals New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden found themselves face to face Wednesday, when both men attended a police graduation ceremony for special-needs young adults in Freehold.

Grewal, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, has implemented a series of immigration protections that limit how much local law enforcement can work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Monday of this week, the Trump Justice Department sued the state of New Jersey over Grewal's Immigrant Trust Directive; both Gov. Murphy and Grewal were named as defendants.

A key part of the directive limits whether county jails can hold and release prisoners to ICE. Golden, the leader of the Monmouth County Republican Party — and who is said to be mulling a run for governor as a Republican — defied Murphy's orders. In the spring of 2019, he quietly renewed the Monmouth County jail's 287(g) agreement, without requesting required permission from the AG. Cape May County Sheriff Robert Nolan did the same.

Speaking to a reporter Wednesday, Grewal downplayed that he was in unfriendly territory in the Republican stronghold of Monmouth County. He and Golden also shook hands at the event.

"As far as unfriendly territory, I disagree with that. We work very well together with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Office when it comes to law enforcement," Grewal told Patch. "Our disagreement is on a narrow issue as to whether state law enforcement should have a role in federal and civil immigration. We disagree on that point, but that doesn't stop us from working on events like today's."

Grewal also said the Monmouth County jail was "abiding by our directive." However, this past July, he sent sharply-worded letters to both Golden and the Cape May County sheriff, accusing them of ignoring his orders and going behind his back to continue working with ICE.

"I was surprised to learn on Friday, July 5, 2019 — after my office was contacted by a reporter — that MCSO (Monmouth County Sheriff's Office) had in fact renewed its 287(g) agreement on March 8, 2019 ... you deliberately declined to disclose this information over the past four months," Grewal's criminal justice director, Veronica Allende, wrote to Golden in the letter, which you can read here.

Gov. Murphy ran on a platform vowing to make New Jersey a "sanctuary" state against Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. He and Grewal say the Immigrant Trust Directive, among other things, allows undocumented residents to feel more comfortable talking to police, such as in the case of missing 5-year-old girl Dulce Alavez, taken from a South Jersey playground.

"I speak to the Bridgeton (police chief), who is investigating that case," Grewal told Patch. "He believes there are members of the community in that area that are fearful of coming forward because they still don't trust state law enforcement because of the actions that the federal authorities are taking. This heightened enforcement environment is driving people into the shadows."

But Golden and Sheriff Nolan say Murphy's sanctuary state policies make New Jersey more dangerous.

"I don't think we should release a criminal, in that case, to go out and do more harm to our residents here in Monmouth County," Golden told NJ TV earlier this summer. "We've worked with ICE for over 10 years under 287(g). Certainly in no way are we creating a lack of trust within the Hispanic community here in Monmouth County."

Also interviewed by Patch at the event Wednesday, Golden refused to comment.

"I'm not going to let it overshadow a great day for our cadets here with special needs," said Golden. "It's a tremendous program," he said, referring to the cadets.

Golden also declined to talk about Trump's lawsuit against the state of New Jersey, and also laughed when asked if he was preparing to run for governor.

"Today I'm focused on all the cadets here, you know what I mean?" Golden said.

For his part, Grewal called Trump's lawsuit a "political stunt."

"It's a political stunt," he told Patch. "It's shortly before the election; our directive has been in place since 2018. The (U.S.) Justice Department filed the lawsuit now because there's an election coming up. And I believe that lawsuit, and the policies that they're pushing, undermine public safety."

This past summer, Ocean County also filed its own federal lawsuit against Murphy and Grewal over the Immigrant Trust Directive.

Patch's ongoing coverage of illegal immigration enforcement in New Jersey:

Trump Administration Makes Big Move To Ban NJ 'Sanctuary' Policy (Feb. 2020)

Ocean County Sues New Jersey AG Over Immigrant Directive (Sept. 2019)

Monmouth County Sheriff Defies Murphy's Order On ICE Cooperation (July 2019)