JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-4) is demanding an end to New Jersey’s sanctuary-state policies following revelations surrounding the horrific Jackson crash that killed a nine-month-old baby last week.
Smith, whose 4th Congressional District includes Jackson Township, said Thursday that Ariadna Lazaro-Flores — the 22-year-old owner of the vehicle involved in the August 28th crash — had previously been deported from the United States five times and was nevertheless able to obtain a New Jersey driver’s license.
“Despite being deported from the United States five times and being previously charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license,” Smith said, Lazaro-Flores “was still able to obtain a driver’s license in New Jersey.”
“That is shocking,” the veteran Republican congressman added.
The vehicle allegedly struck a mother and her two children outside the NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road. The nine-month-old child died while his mother and five-year-old sister were hospitalized.
Authorities say Lazaro-Flores was not behind the wheel. The alleged driver, 20-year-old Maria Cobon-Guzman of Trenton, had never possessed a valid driver’s license, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Smith said both women were in the country illegally.
Cobon-Guzman faces manslaughter, assault by auto and other charges. Lazaro-Flores was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct that creates a substantial risk of death to another person. Smith laid blame for the circumstances surrounding the tragedy squarely at the feet of lax immigration enforcement.
“Had these individuals been properly vetted and denied entry into the United States, this innocent baby would still be alive, and a young family’s lives would not have been completely shattered,” Smith said.
The congressman also turned his fire on Trenton.
New Jersey has allowed residents without lawful immigration status to obtain standard driver’s licenses since 2021. The state’s Immigrant Trust Directive, meanwhile, restricts the circumstances under which state and local law enforcement agencies may assist federal civil immigration enforcement.
Smith said the deadly Jackson incident demonstrates why those policies need to change.
“The State of New Jersey must repeal its so-called sanctuary state status and allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials,” Smith said.
The Jackson tragedy now joins a growing list of cases fueling renewed Republican demands to dismantle New Jersey’s sanctuary-state regime — this time with the congressman representing the community where the tragedy occurred leading the charge.
