Gov. Christie apparently has decided that the American instinct to help desperate souls can be erased as easily as the words on a website.
Still loyal to the president who humiliates him at every turn, the governor continues to applaud Donald Trump’s order on refugees, and now the difference between our state and our more compassionate neighbor cannot be more stark.
Consider what Matt Katz of WNYC pointed out Thursday: Whereas New York State is leading the legal fight against Trump’s travel ban, New Jersey is mute. While New York has launched a hotline to assist immigrants affected by the executive order, New Jersey bailed out of the refugee program in October. And while Trump’s war against sanctuary cities has actually bonded Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Christie will abandon sanctuaries like Jersey City and Newark, vowing to be a “willing partner” in Trump’s urban crackdown.
Christie has even scrubbed the interwebs: Refugee resettlement information on our Department of Human Services website (housing, child care, etc.) was recently expunged.
Makes you proud to be a New Jerseyan, doesn’t it?
“I can understand they took it off because they don’t administer it anymore,” said Megan Johnson of Church World Service in Jersey City, which has resettled 89 Syrian refugees the past two years. “But ideally, they could have had (a link) that said, ‘Here’s the best place to get these services.’ That would help.”
Real leaders denounce Muslim ban, Christie is mute | Editorial
It was 13 months ago that Christie called the Muslim ban “ridiculous. . . .the kind of thing that people say when they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Apparently, now it’s OK if you do it to pander to fear and win elections – in which case it is more mendacious than ridiculous.
New York State is living up to the American creed: We welcome and assimilate immigrants from all over the globe, and it’s a sin to say we’ve lost that power after 241 years. Many times we have deviated from this creed, or applied it selfishly. This is one of those times, and it should be a source of embarrassment to all New Jerseyans. Let’s hope it’s temporary.
A few weeks ago, the state’s Department of Human Services website included resources for arriving refugees. Not anymore.Star-Ledger Editorial Board
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