By: Mike Mustiglione
President Donald Trump is heading to New Jersey for a campaign rally. Yet much of the talk in the Garden State today is about the Trump administration’s role in a local immigration issue.
The Trump Justice Department made itself part of a lawsuit last week that aims to overturn a state order that was put in place less than a year ago. It slaps a ceiling on just how much cooperation local law enforcement officials can give federal immigration authorities.
“The move comes amid the Trump administration’s escalating efforts against so-called sanctuary policies around the country, but experts said the timing could suggest it has as much to do with politics as with immigration,” noted the New York Times. “The two counties that filed the suit are in the district of Representative Jeff Van Drew, a freshman centrist who was elected as a Democrat but recently became a Republican after voting against impeaching Mr. Trump.”
The rally will happen in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, represented by Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew. Van Drew switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP in December 2019 and pledged his ‘undying support’ to President Trump.
It goes without saying, there has been controversy. Van Drew, “who made a high-profile defection from the Democratic Party to the GOP over impeachment last month, signaled weeks before the move that he would not vote for President Trump in November,” reported thehill.com. “In a voicemail obtained and released by The Philadelphia Inquirer Friday, Van Drew assured one of his constituents three weeks before he switched parties that he would not support the president. Van Drew later affirmed his “undying support” for Trump after switching parties.”
Though no doubt important, the issue takes a backseat to the sheer exuberance being shown by trump supporters in New Jersey. The president is scheduled to speak at a campaign rally tomorrow night, but as the sun came up today hundreds of people had already begun camping out in anticipation of the event.
Trump’s people are said to have received about 100,000 ticket requests for the event. The Wildwoods Convention Center’s capacity is 7,400. Doors open at 3 p.m., and President Trump will take the stage at 7 p.m.
“The Montclair Republican Club is proud to represent our town at the Trump rally in Wildwood tomorrow night, to celebrate three years of policies which have lifted countless thousands of citizens out of economic hardship and re-asserted U.S. interests in the global economy,” club president John Van Wagner told Patch. “The fact that wages and employment opportunities are finally growing for some of the country’s most underserved populations, including and especially women and minorities, underlines this administration’s commitment to the American worker, and points to a decisive Trump victory in 2020.”
