Philip D. Murphy, on his last day as governor, vetoed two bills aimed at expanding immigrant rights in New Jersey, disappointing advocates who for years had fought for the added protections in a state with the country’s second largest percentage of immigrants after California.
Aides to Mr. Murphy, who in his first term championed efforts to expand rights for undocumented residents, said the governor decided to kill the legislation out of concern that the bills would “unintentionally undermine protections for New Jersey’s immigrant communities.”
It was an explanation that fell flat for many immigrant and civil rights leaders and for Democrats who fought to pass the bills in the State Legislature.
“The bills were legally sound and common sense,” said Amol Sinha, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. “We can’t be in a situation where we are not passing laws because we’re afraid of lawsuits. Now is the time for courage.”
The Assembly and Senate passed a trio of immigration-related bills on the last day of the legislative session, an effort seen as a defiant statement of principle as President Trump seeks to increase deportations. Mr. Murphy signed just one of the three into law on Tuesday, allowing the other two to expire without his signature, which is known as a pocket veto in the final days of a two-year legislative cycle.
The bill signed into law will require the state to write “model policies” to protect the rights of New Jersey residents at sensitive locations, including schools, courthouses, shelters, jails and health care facilities.
The state would be expected to provide instructions to employees of these so-called safe spaces about when and where federal agents are permitted to enforce civil immigration laws — and when and where they are not.
One measure that failed would have given guidelines contained in the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive the force of law, making it harder for a future administration to undo. The directive, which has survived legal appeals and remains in place, limits the amount of help state and local law enforcement officers can give federal agents enforcing civil immigration law.
Mr. Murphy said that slight differences between the directive and the proposed law might have drawn “renewed judicial scrutiny that could result in diminished vital protections for immigrants in New Jersey.”
A third bill would have safeguarded personal information held by health care facilities and government agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles. Undocumented immigrants have been able to obtain driver’s licenses in New Jersey since 2019, leaving details about their personal lives vulnerable to scrutiny by federal immigration authorities.
Mr. Murphy said the legislation still held a “drafting oversight” that he said could have jeopardized billions of dollars of federal funding.
By law, states cannot withhold certain data from federal authorities. The bill would have limited the amount of information state agencies could collect from residents in the first place, ensuring that only essential personal details were retained in databases.
Policy experts and lawmakers who drafted the legislation insisted it was legally sound and did not conflict with federal rules, leaving them infuriated by Mr. Murphy’s decision to veto it after the bill had already been amended once — at his direction.
“In failing to sign these bills, Governor Murphy has left New Jersey without critical protections at a moment when ICE is brutalizing our communities,” Mr. Sinha said.
In the past several days, supporters of the legislation, including three Democrats who represent New Jersey in Congress, intensified their pressure on the governor to sign the bills before the end of his term on Tuesday. Immigrant rights advocates circulated a cellphone number for Mr. Murphy and urged supporters to text the governor. On Monday night, speakers at a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in New Jersey, featuring Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, led the audience in a chant. “Sign the bills!” the crowd chanted repeatedly.
Mr. Murphy, in a statement, said his support for the safe spaces bill reaffirmed his commitment to immigrant families.
“Whether you’re praying in a church, studying in school, receiving medical care at a hospital, or seeking legal relief, no one should live in fear or uncertainty or be deterred from seeking essential services due to their immigration status,” he said.
Tracey Tully is a reporter for The Times who covers New Jersey, where she has lived for more than 20 years.
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