Fitzpatrick voted against Atlantic’s non-sanctuary county status before she opposed migrant relocation to Atlantic City

Atlantic County Commissioner Caren Fitzpatrick voted against a resolution supporting a non-sanctuary county policy and backing up law enforcement almost three years ago, but now she’s flipped her position and is opposing the Biden administration’s attempt to relocate migrant asylum seekers to Atlantic City.

State Sen. Vince Polistina (R-Egg Harbor Township) was first out of the box in opposition to the plan, something that the state’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, indicated his lack of support for the Biden plan while appearing on News12 on Thursday.

The resolution supporting County Executive Dennis Levinson’s non-sanctuary county policy passed 5-3 in November 2019, with Fitzpatrick and two other Democrats on the then-Freeholder board voting no.

After Polistina became a vocal no on Biden’s proposal, Fitzpatrick agreed.  But Republicans aren’t buying it, saying the Democrat is a hypocrite.

“Caren Fitzpatrick has proven she’s just another pandering politician.  Try as she might to alter history, voters will not forget she voted to make Atlantic County a sanctuary County in 2019,” said Polistina’s campaign manager, Nicholas Poche.  “It’s understandable that she wants to run from her record now that she’s running for her third different office in the last four years.  Atlantic County voters weren’t fooled by her two years ago, and they won’t be fooled this fall.”

Fitzpatrick pushed back, suggesting that Polistina could do a better job acknowledging that two candidates from different parties might agree on the same issue, in this case, using Atlantic City International Airport to house thousands of migrants who have arrived in New York City.

“We are at a crisis point, and it’s not surprising that career politician Vince Polistina can’t accept that Democrats and Republicans are overwhelmingly united in opposing Atlantic City International Airport being the home for New York City migrants,” Fitzpatrick stated.  “Instead, he’s ready to put on a carnival-barker act, bringing up a non-binding county resolution from nearly four years ago.”

Fitzpatrick said that “grandstanding occurs too often in Atlantic County” and that she’s seen her share of that during her two terms as a county commissioner.

In turn, Fitzpatrick hammered her Republican colleagues for refusing to vote on a resolution she sponsored in support of Roe v. Wade.

“Of course, Polistina was okay with that since he both shuttered a critically needed Planned Parenthood office in Atlantic County and voted against efforts to codify Roe v. Wade in New Jersey,” Fitzpatrick told the New Jersey Globe.  “His flagrant disregard for the seriousness of this situation is why he’s unfit to serve in elected office.  We need real leadership and a united front to take on this crisis.  Polistina just made a complete joke of the situation.”