Immigration showdown: NJ sheriff at Trump signing of ‘sanctuary states’ order

🚨Ocean County sheriff was in the Oval Office for the signing of an executive order

🚨The order directs law enforcement to publish places that don't assist ICE

🚨Sheriff Mastronardy said he will enforce whatever is law

Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy was one of several members of law enforcement in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump signed an executive order empowering law enforcement and cracking down on sanctuary cities.

The order requires state and federal officials to publish lists of “sanctuary city” jurisdictions, or places where local authorities often don’t cooperate in enforcing federal immigration regulations.

The elected Republican sheriff was right behind Trump in a photo posted by The Lakewood Scoop.

Mastronardy, vice president of the National Sheriffs Association, said he got the call to be part of the signing executive order signing after returning from a trip to Poland where he was part of The March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau commemorating the Nazi death marches that took the lives of over 15,000 people.

"It was a very humbling experience," Mastronardy said, adding that he was not traveling with Gov. Phil Murphy, who was also at the march.

Trump was "very cordial, very warm and it was a good experience," the sheriff said.

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Sheriff: 'We just follow along"

In New Jersey, Paterson has designated itself as a sanctuary city, which drew the attention of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. During an appearance with Sean Hannity on Fox News on April 11, Habba announced an investigation into Murphy and state Attorney General Matt Platkin over the state's Immigrant Trust Directive, which prohibts law enforcement from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“If anybody wants to use politics or their position to go and violate any federal law or any executive order in this state, and that includes sanctuary cities, and I’m looking at you, Paterson, New Jersey,” Habba warned. “I will be investigating you, and if you did commit a crime, if you ordered obstruction, if you are ordering concealment and harboring, you will be charged.”

Mastronardy was critical of Murphy’s Immigrant Trust Directive when it was first implemented in 2019, and said there is a difference in the Trump administration's approach to illegal immigrants and that of the Murphy administration.

"These things have to work out and I'm sure they will. Listen, there's a conflict of being obviously from New Jersey and what the feds are doing. It'll work out. We just follow along. Whatever the law says, that's what we follow," Mastronardy said.

Some of his law enforcement concerns have been worked out.

"Our main point was about safety, where we couldn't share information. That's been amended, and we're pretty comfortable now," Mastronardy said.

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