TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – At a Spanish-speaking city hall, the Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey assured two young Mexican immigrants brought to the United States as children that those without criminal records will not be subject to deportation. Three nights later, Jack Ciattarelli headlined a “Make America Great Again” style event where far-right commentators joked about building detention centers, such as: Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” In the Garden State.
“What about Boardwalk Brig?” Jack Posobiec said with a laugh at that night’s gathering.
Ciatarelli, an unabashed ally of Donald Trump, recently gave the Republican president this directive: “A” grade for his performance in the White House. But while Mr. Ciattarelli is courting Latino voters in a tight race against Democrat Mikie Sherrill, the former business executive and state lawmaker has distanced himself from Mr. Trump on immigration, the president’s centerpiece.
Ciatarelli has voiced support for issuing driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers to people in the U.S. illegally, seeking to strike a balance between supporters of Trump’s mass deportation strategy and Latino voters who believe Republican candidates can persuade them to support Trump.
Recent Univision forums and Final campaign debateRather than a path to citizenship, as immigration advocates have long pushed, Ciattarelli promoted what he called a “path to recognition,” which he later described as a first step toward citizenship.
It’s a high-stakes gamble in one of two states with gubernatorial races this year (the other being Virginia), but it’s rooted in Trump’s improved performance among Latino voters last year. In New Jersey, for example, Trump flipped two majority-Hispanic towns that had won by more than 30 and 50 percentage points in 2016, respectively. The state typically votes Democratic in Senate and presidential election years, and Mr. Trump lost all three of his White House bids to Democrats, but he has bounced between parties in gubernatorial races in odd-numbered years.
Mr. Ciattarelli’s more lenient stance toward some immigrants comes amid President Trump’s all-out effort to increase deportations, including those with no criminal record other than immigration violations. Ciatarelli softened his position on several points, but also made it clear that he wants New Jersey law enforcement officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Congressman Sherrill, who is in his fourth term, slammed Trump throughout the campaign and positioned himself as a bulwark against the administration. But she has not emphasized immigration in her campaign.
Ciattarelli navigates the delicate politics of immigration
Mr. Ciattarelli previously served in state legislatures and local government, and was a critic of Mr. Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election. While serving in Congress, he sponsored a bill that would provide in-state tuition to certain immigrants without legal status.
In the gubernatorial race, he aligned himself with Trump on at least some of the president’s immigration policies. Ciattarelli also said his first executive order, if elected, would be to repeal the state’s Immigration Trust Directive, which prohibits police cooperation in civilian immigration enforcement matters. He also opposes granting birthright citizenship to children born to immigrants who are in the United States illegally.
In a debate with Sherrill last week, Ciatarelli said he agreed with Trump that people with “criminal records” should be deported, not just those who have “committed a crime or fraud.” However, he slightly broke with Trump, saying, “I believe that others should be put on the path to confirmation.”
Ciatarelli has touted in front of Spanish-speaking audiences his support for in-state tuition for undocumented students, which has been a target of the Trump administration.
“I don’t believe that anyone should live in the shadows. If there’s a path to recognition, for me it starts with some kind of government-issued identification, including a driver’s license,” Ciattarelli said on a Univision forum, answering a question in Spanish from a New Jersey resident and responding in English.
Why is it important?
Mr. Ciattarelli hopes to reach key constituencies in states where Mr. Trump has cut into the Democratic lead. latino voters In 2024, as he did throughout New Jersey. Voter concerns about the economy are certain to be central to that effort.
The New Jersey Democratic Party has also largely shifted its focus to the economy and cost-cutting, with polls showing inflation being a top concern among Hispanics. According to the census, about one in five New Jersey residents is Hispanic.
Trump lost New Jersey last November to Democrat Kamala Harris by just 6 points, a change from a nearly 13-point lead to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump’s approval rating among Latino voters rose from 28% in 2020 to 43% in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, a broad survey of 2024 voters.
How will this change be perceived by the Republican Party?
While Republicans who have fervently supported the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration may not agree with Ciatarelli’s views, many still support him.
“There are a certain number of people for whom it might be a deterrent,” said Ed Doull, a former state senator and president of Ciattarelli’s organization. main enemy People who now support him. “Some hardliners see this as acquiescence by the Democratic Party.”
And other Republicans say his policies look good compared to positions taken by leading New Jersey Democrats. Mario Cranjack, another one former primary antagonist He supported Trump in the gubernatorial race and summoned Sherrill, Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
“Miki, Cory, Andy, Josh, and their fellow Democrats support sanctuary cities and illegal immigration that foster crime and unnecessary spending,” he said. “Jack won’t though.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Ciatarelli’s claim that he could work with the Trump administration to exempt people with no criminal records from deportation.
Outside a campaign stop at a pizzeria earlier this week, Ciattarelli reiterated that some people should not be deported, but instead should be brought “out of the shadows.” We asked the campaign to clarify how it reconciles his position with that of the president, but we did not receive a response.
“He pretends to care.”
Cheryl had a skeptical reaction to Ciatarelli’s “Path to Recognition.”
“It’s not really real. It doesn’t give anyone any status,” she said during the debate. She has touted her career as a former assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting criminals, in addition to her work on federal legislation to create citizenship opportunities.
She summarized the difference between the two as follows: “At the end of the day, he always does what Trump says.”
Asked repeatedly if she would uphold the Migrant Trusts Directive, Sherrill said only that she would enforce the law.
Patricia Campos Medina, a labor activist who is advising Sherrill, said Ciattarelli is trying to “sound sympathetic” to Latinos, who are increasingly worried about the Trump administration’s expanding anti-immigration actions that are impacting Hispanic businesses.
“He pretends to care and be considerate towards immigrants, but he doesn’t tell us the facts,” Campos-Medina said. “We should all be asking, ‘How are we going to protect data from Donald Trump’s machine? New Jersey already admits immigrants. How are we going to keep that promise?'”
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
