{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415825", "Save Jersey article featuring Smith commentary'Deported FIVE Times, Still Licensed in N.J.: Smith Blasts Sanctuary Policies After Baby\u2019s Death'", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "By The Staff\n\nPublished September 4, 2026\n\nJACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. \u2013 Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-4) is demanding an end to New Jersey\u2019s sanctuary-state policies following revelations surrounding the horrific Jackson crash that killed a nine-month-old baby last week.\n\nSmith, whose 4th Congressional District includes Jackson Township, said Thursday that Ariadna Lazaro-Flores \u2014 the 22-year-old owner of the vehicle involved in the August 28th crash \u2014 had previously been deported from the United States five times and was nevertheless able to obtain a New Jersey driver\u2019s license.\n\n\u201cDespite being deported from the United States five times and being previously charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license,\u201d Smith said, Lazaro-Flores \u201cwas still able to obtain a driver\u2019s license in New Jersey.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is shocking,\u201d the veteran Republican congressman added.\n\nThe 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.\n\nAuthorities 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\u2019s license, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor\u2019s Office.\n\nSmith said both women were in the country illegally.\n\nCobon-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.\n\n\u201cHad these individuals been properly vetted and denied entry into the United States, this innocent baby would still be alive, and a young family\u2019s lives would not have been completely shattered,\u201d Smith said.\n\nThe congressman also turned his fire on Trenton.\n\nNew Jersey has allowed residents without lawful immigration status to obtain standard driver\u2019s licenses since 2021. The state\u2019s Immigrant Trust Directive, meanwhile, restricts the circumstances under which state and local law enforcement agencies may assist federal civil immigration enforcement.\n\nSmith said the deadly Jackson incident demonstrates why those policies need to change.\n\n\u201cThe State of New Jersey must repeal its so-called sanctuary state status and allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials,\u201d Smith said.", 1, "2026-09-09T09:27:09Z", "2026-09-09T09:29:04Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415825"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5281452797353268, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}