Immigration Takes Center Stage In New Jersey Special Election

As the Trump administration faces broad disapproval for ICE’s ramped-up efforts across the country, immigration is emerging as a wedge issue in the first congressional Democratic primary election of the 2026 midterms.

“Tom Malinowski says he'll stand up to Trump,” says the narrator in an ad from United Democracy Project, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s independent expenditure arm. “But hold on. In 2019, Tom Malinowski voted with Trump and the Republicans to fund ICE — more than $200 million for Trump's deportation force.”

While it’s common for the group, a major player in the 2024 election cycle, to run ads on topics other than Israel, United Democracy Project has not typically gone after a candidate on immigration — an indicator of just how motivating this issue may be at the polls amid the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration maneuvers. The group has also sent out mailers regarding the 2019 vote, and in another spot that began running last week, hit Malinowski over his stock trades — but only after again criticizing him for voting “with Trump to increase funding” for “out of control” ICE.

The attacks come as voters across the country — especially Democrats — express concern about ICE’s tactics and federal agents killing two U.S. citizens amid protests against the administration’s immigration efforts.

Democrats are no strangers to getting hit on immigration, though it’s a more common attack in the general election. But as Republicans lose their grip on immigration messaging, Democrats are now trying to find their footing on the topic — including among themselves. Fault lines have already begun to form in competitive congressional Democratic primaries across the country as the party debates over calls to abolish ICE. And some of the seven Democrats who voted for the Department of Homeland Security funding bill have since shifted their tone.

Malinowski, a former member of Congress and one of nearly a dozen Democrats running in this week’s special election for New Jersey’s 11th District to succeed Gov. Mikie Sherrill, is warning this attack over old votes for ICE funding — something he said many Democrats are “guilty of” — can take hold in upcoming primaries.

“This plays on both the outrage that Democrats, and I think some Republican voters, feel about what we're seeing in Minnesota and other cities, ICE pulling American citizens out of cars and demanding to see their papers,” Malinowski said. “To accuse a Democrat of condoning that is about the worst kind of libel that I can imagine in the current political climate. It is unforgivable, and we will see it again and again if it’s not stopped here.”

Malinowski, who has been outspoken against the Trump administration’s immigration tactics, said that he voted for the 2019 bill, along with more than half of the Democratic caucus at the time, because of humanitarian aid and border security provisions. Sen. Andy Kim, who also voted for the legislation when he was in the House, defended Malinowski, saying that “as an immigrant, Tom fought against ICE” and “he stood up against Trump and corruption.”

When asked why UDP chose to go after Malinowski on immigration, spokesperson Patrick Dorton said in a statement, “Whether it’s increasing funding for ICE or cashing in on covid-related stocks, Tom Malinowski proved he can’t be trusted during his time in Congress.” The group has not specified who is its candidate of choice in the primary. But in an indicator of which candidate has made inroads among the pro-Israel community, former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way on Friday received a prominent endorsement from Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, a separate group.

Malinowski in a fundraising email argued that AIPAC is going after him because he believes he can “passionately support Israel’s right to defend itself without approving everything Benjamin Netanyahu does” and because he “refused to take corporate PAC money.”

“I’m not Cori Bush here,” he said in an interview with POLITICO, referencing the former Missouri representative and member of the progressive “Squad” whom UDP spent millions against in 2024. “This is a real escalation.”

Old votes for ICE funding could prove to be a more frequent attack in the coming months. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha said that he is working on upcoming primaries where they are crafting communications on the issue, as well as testing ICE messaging among independent and Republican voters for November.

“It’s very front of mind for so many voters, but especially in a Democratic primary, and especially in a special election,” Rocha said of the attacks against Malinowski. “This immigration issue and what we've been seeing in the streets with these rogue masked ICE agents is very motivating.”

Still, it’s unclear how effective this messaging will be for elections later in the cycle — especially as there is little clarity surrounding how the Trump administration will proceed. There is no timeline for when ICE will pull out of Minnesota, the epicenter of the administration’s chaotic immigration operation, and on Thursday, Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins said that ICE “ended its enhanced activities” in her state after she and others urged the agency to stop.

But as early voting is already underway for the Feb. 5 special primary election in NJ-11, ICE’s heightened actions over recent weeks could have an impact — even as immigration hasn’t registered as a top issue in the state, compared to priorities like taxes and affordability.

The district is a blue-leaning seat where the primary victor will be heavily favored going into the April special general election. Just one Republican — Joe Hathaway, a local mayor — is vying for the GOP nomination. Malinowski, who benefits from strong name ID from his time representing a neighboring district in Congress and leads the field in fundraising, is viewed as a frontrunner in the crowded field, along with other high-profile Democrats like Way and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.

Immigration is one of those “few issues” that the Democratic Party is “unified on and can get behind and agree with,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, adding that it “becomes a very easy attack to try and even link one of the Democratic candidates within this primary” to something that counters that stance.

And in a special election, where the campaigns had just weeks to make their pitch with barely any downtime since November’s gubernatorial election, money is going to be a critical factor in what message breaks through to voters. Both UDP and the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association PAC, which is supporting Way, have spent close to $2 million each on independent expenditures in the race, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. More super PACs are involved to boost other candidates, but are not spending as much.

Talking about immigration and pushing back against ICE is a prominent theme from others in the race as well. The DLGA’s PAC is running a spot saying that Way will “end Trump's violent ICE raids in schools and churches.” An ad from Gill’s campaign features his wife, state Assemblymember Alixon Collazos-Gill, a Colombian immigrant, sharing how their daughter was “terrified” that “kids at school said ICE was going to deport her.” And a spot from a pro-Malinowski PAC asserts that he will “defund ICE.”

“They all sound really similar: ‘We're gonna fight Trump, we’re gonna reform ICE.’ Some are doing it with more intensity,” said Tory Gavito, president of progressive donor network Way to Win. “It’s just wild to me that they understand that the people who vote in primaries right now are exasperated with MAGA in all its forms, and ICE is a brutal physical manifestation of MAGA right now.”

The Trump administration’s immigration moves have had a prominent impact in New Jersey. The first immigration detention center to open under the second Trump administration is in Newark, and was the scene of a high-profile altercation that led to the arrest of one Democrat and assault charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver. Weeks later, four detainees escaped from the facility as concerns emerged about improper conditions. An ICE raid recently occurred in the 11th District, and Democrats have pushed back against an unconfirmed potential facility in Republican Rep. Tom Kean’s 7th District, a top target for Democrats this year.

As former Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was out the door, one of his final actions brought immigration even more into the spotlight. Just hours before Sherrill was inaugurated, he vetoed legislation that would have codified restrictions between state and local law enforcement working with federal immigration authorities, expressing concern that doing so would inadvertently undermine the current state protections.

Many of the Democrats running for NJ-11 have criticized the vetoes. Co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy and former Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) staffer Analilia Mejia, who has sought to claim the progressive lane, has been one of the more outspoken candidates when it comes to abolishing ICE — including leading a chant to do so at a recent rally with Sanders. She said that she is “so shocked that the governor would sully his legacy in this way.”

Even those who have worked closely with Murphy expressed disappointment, including Gill, who has Murphy’s endorsement and welcomed him on the trail. (Gill’s wife sponsored one of the bills.)

“Immigration is not an abstract policy debate for families in our district — it is deeply personal,” Gill said in a statement. “I will continue to stand with immigrant families and advocates to push for policies that protect privacy, uphold due process, and recognize the vital role immigrants play in the social and economic fabric of New Jersey. Our state can and must do better.”

Even Way, who just finished her tenure as Murphy’s lieutenant governor, said that she was “very disappointed” that these “commonsense” bills were not signed. She pointed to legislation she signed in August of 2024 when she was acting governor that penalizes employers who threaten to disclose an employee’s immigration status to cover up labor violations.

“I have advocated and spoken in support of immigrant communities throughout my entire tenure,” she said when asked if she is worried that voters will associate Murphy’s veto with her campaign. “I’m saying to the voters out there, I’m running on my record, and I’m communicating my message.”