Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) fell silent after being asked by a debate moderator and his Democratic opponent whether he supports enacting mass deportations of migrants, a policy that former President Trump has called for.
The moment came during a debate between Kean and Democratic candidate Sue Altman on Sunday as part of the race to represent New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District in the House. Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics and one of the moderators, asked Kean if he would support the policy, and if so, how the costs of the policy will be handled and what will be deprioritized to ensure the policy can get done.
Kean said that millions of undocumented migrants from various countries have entered the U.S. in the past few years and the situation would have been solved if the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy stayed in place. The policy, which the Biden administration ended, required migrants to stay in Mexico while awaiting their court date on whether they can be admitted to the U.S.
Kean said deporting the individuals who are “criminals” is “where you need to start” and accused Altman of having an “extreme” position, saying she supports allowing people to illegally come across the border without any checks.
“We need to ensure that we have the people who can be leaders, to find the common ground, to secure our southern border, make our community safe,” he said.
Altman responded to him that he had dodged the question and asked him again if he supports deporting migrants.
The event was then silent for eight seconds as Kean did not respond. Another moderator stepped in to tell Altman she had 35 more seconds on her rebuttal and then Kean would have a chance to add more.
“Now I know how the reporters feel,” Altman said, making a reference to instances in the Capitol where Kean would not answer questions from reporters, which she has used in an ad to attack the Republican.
Kean has said he does not take part in hallway interviews when on government property and on constituents’ time as a “long-standing policy.”
Altman said she “obviously” does not support deporting migrants. Kean reiterated that looking at those who have entered the country illegally and committed crimes or have a criminal record is where “we should start.”
The Hill has reached out to Kean’s campaign for comment on the moment and whether he supports mass deportations.
The race for the 7th District is the most competitive House contest in New Jersey, which is otherwise a solidly blue state that is mostly made up of Democratic House members. The forecast model from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ rates the race as “lean Republican.”