The prospect of the old Hagedorn State Psychiatric Hospital being used as a processing facility for undocumented migrants continues to stir debate.
State officials have said there are no such plans currently in the works for the Hunterdon County facility, but NJ Spotlight News spoke with several others about the possibility being floated and the implications it could have in New Jersey as the nation faces a mounting border crisis.
“This is a failed border policy by the Biden administration,” said state Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Morris). “And also our governor, Governor Murphy, has declared us to be a sanctuary state, so our doors are open for people to come here.”
Amy Torres of the NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice countered: “It’s really important to note that this is an election year, a presidential election year, and just like years past … there’s always this scary term that people come up with during election cycles to basically pit communities against each other.”
