Policies

He has been active in reducing the presence of illegal immigrants in Morristown. He has attempted to have his police officers deputized as immigration officers. He has asked federal authorities to assist local police in cracking down on illegal immigration in the town and employers that hire illegal immigrants. He wrote a letter to United States attorney Christopher J. Christie

Christopher J. Christie

Christopher James "Chris" Christie is the 55th and current Governor of New Jersey. Upon his election to the governorship in November 2009, Christie became the first Republican to win a statewide election in New Jersey in 12 years. In 2011, he considered entering the race for the Republican...

 in this effort.

His attempt to have local law enforcement officials coordinate with federal authorities is consistent with Section 287(g)

Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g)

Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287, codified at , was added to the INA by section 133 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act...

 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996

Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Division C of vastly changed the immigration laws of the United States.This act states that if an immigrant has been unlawfully present in the United States for 180 days but less than 365 days...

.

Political career

In 1982 he ran in the New Jersey Senate Democratic primary and lost to Frank Lautenberg

Frank Lautenberg

Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...

. In 1997 he switched to the Republican party but lost the mayoral primary to Jay Delaney and then went on to win the Morristown mayoral election against Scott Whitenack in 2005. On March 28, 2008 it was announced that he would again face U.S. Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

Lautenberg in the Democratic primary. On April 8, he announced an official run for the Senate against Frank Lautenberg which he subsequently lost, receiving only 10% of the vote.

On June 2, 2009 Cresitello lost a Democratic primary challenge from Morristown's zoning board chairman Tim Dougherty.