Alina Habba has taken a bold step just weeks after being appointed as interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey as she announced a federal investigation into the state’s top Democratic officials over immigration. On Varney & Co., Habba declared she would open probes into Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin for what she calls failure to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The move comes in response to a 2018 policy that limits state officers from detaining individuals solely based on immigration status or helping federal agents.

Habba said this directive cannot continue under her watch and accused New Jersey leaders of ignoring the law and putting politics before public safety. She insisted the investigation will begin immediately and warned other officials to take note. She linked the effort to the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration and stressed that enforcement should be about fighting crime not about politics.

Governor Murphy claimed the state already works with federal agencies on immigration every day and dismissed Habba’s claims. Meanwhile Attorney General Platkin criticized her approach and said she has refused to respond to outreach. He also accused her of turning the legal office into a political tool and warned that her actions threaten the balance between federal and state authority.

Habba fired back saying she will not tolerate any obstruction and made her position clear with a direct message.

“Anybody who does get in that way — in the way of what we are doing, which is not political, it is simply against crime — will be charged in the state of New Jersey for obstruction, for concealment, and I will come after them hard,” Habba said.

The immigration battle is only heating up.