Immigration has become the defining issue in New Jersey’s special Democratic primary to replace Mikie Sherrill, with 11 candidates vying for the nomination. Proposals range from modest enforcement reforms to calls to abolish ICE — a stance backed by Analilia Mejia and echoed by other contenders. Fundraising and outside spending are intense: Tom Malinowski has nearly $1.2 million in donations, while a pro-Israel super PAC has spent about $2.3 million to oppose him. Local incidents and national fights over ICE have pushed the debate to the forefront ahead of November.
ICE Debate Dominates New Jersey Special Primary — Abolition vs. Reform Takes Center Stage
A man walks through a fenced-in area on the grounds of Delaney Hall, a 1,000-person detention center operated by private prison company GEO Group for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., October 6, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 — The fatal shooting of two protesters during President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis has pushed immigration to the forefront of a hotly contested New Jersey special congressional primary, making the issue a dominant theme in one of the first major races of the midterm year.
Although Democrats are widely expected to hold the seat, Thursday's primary is being treated as an early test of which messages and priorities will best mobilize voters ahead of November, when control of the House and Senate will be contested.
A crowded field of 11 Democrats is competing to replace moderate Mikie Sherrill, who left the seat after becoming governor. Prominent establishment contenders include Tahesha Way, the state's former lieutenant governor and secretary of state; Brendan Gill, an Essex County commissioner backed by the party apparatus; and Tom Malinowski, a former U.S. representative noted for human-rights work. They face Analilia Mejia, an organizer and former national political director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, who is running as a progressive outsider.
Policy Split: Reformers vs. Abolitionists
Proposals in the race span a wide spectrum: some candidates push for reforms such as requiring federal immigration agents to show identification and barring mask use during enforcement actions, while others call for more sweeping measures, including impeaching the Homeland Security secretary or abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entirely.
"ICE is dominating the conversation," said Brendan Gill, whose campaign is backed by former Governor Phil Murphy. "I'm hearing a lot about that issue every single day."
Analilia Mejia — endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — has called for abolishing ICE, describing it as "an unchecked police force that is sadly too corrupted to remain." Tahesha Way has also voiced support for eliminating the agency, saying, "I don't believe another dollar should be appropriated for this militia-style operation," and calling to "defund and dismantle the tactics that have led to death and chaos in the streets."
Money, Attacks and Local Incidents
The race has attracted significant fundraising and outside spending. Most leading candidates have raised more than $400,000; Malinowski leads the field with nearly $1.2 million in reported donations. He has also been a target of a pro-Israel super PAC that has spent roughly $2.3 million to undermine his candidacy, including ads accusing him of voting "with Trump to increase funding" for ICE — a claim Malinowski disputes and says has angered many voters.
Other contenders include former Obama White House aide Cammie Croft, Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, Morris Township Deputy Mayor Jeff Grayzel and Army veteran Zach Beecher.
Local incidents have helped drive the debate: in the vacant district, a 17-year-old high school student was detained by ICE last month while doing laundry and was released days later — an episode candidates cite as emblematic of the climate of fear some residents feel.
Immigration Battles Across the Country
Immigration has become a flashpoint nationally. On Capitol Hill, some Democrats briefly shut down parts of the government to press for ICE reforms. In Illinois, Representative Robin Kelly filed a resolution seeking to impeach South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem; in Michigan, former public health official Abdul El-Sayed has criticized Democratic rivals for not supporting abolition of ICE; and in Maine, debates have erupted over ICE's presence in the state.
Mejia: "This moment calls for a different kind of leadership — organizers who engage people in substantive, impactful ways, like John Lewis or Barack Obama did."
The primary will serve as an early indicator of which immigration messages and tactics may carry weight for Democrats heading into the general election season.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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