Amidst the escalating migrant crisis at both the southern and northern U.S. borders, New York State Republican leaders have taken a decisive stand. Assemblyman Will Barclay and Senator Rob Ortt have directly appealed to Governor Kathy Hochul, urging the New York State National Guard deployment to Texas and along the New York-Canadian border. This bold request seeks to bolster efforts to curb the illegal flow of migrants into the country, spotlighting a deepening national issue at New York's doorstep.
The call for action is grounded in alarming statistics highlighting the surge in illegal border crossings. "More than 8 million border encounters have occurred since President Biden took office. In 2023 alone, over 2.5 million migrants entered the country through the southern border," Barclay and Ortt detailed in their letter to Governor Hochul, citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. The gravity of these numbers underscores a situation that, in their view, demands immediate state intervention.
Barclay and Ortt's letter articulates that while immigration reform rests at the federal level, New York State possesses a sovereign right — and obligation — to protect its citizens. "The states' sovereign right to protect its citizens and its communities must be valued above the actions of federal authorities," they argued, making a case for New York's proactive stance in addressing border security concerns.
Senator Ortt, drawing from his personal experience with Operation Jump Start, where National Guard troops previously assisted the U.S. Border Patrol, underscored the precedent for such a deployment. "I was stationed and served in Nogales, Arizona during this time," he shared, emphasizing their request's operational feasibility and historical precedent.
The backdrop to this appeal is a critique of Governor Hochul's budget priorities, which, according to the Republican leaders, have allocated substantial taxpayer dollars to migrant services amid broader fiscal challenges facing New York State. "Schools throughout New York State are taking cuts to their budgets... while $2.4 billion in taxpayer dollars is earmarked for migrants," the letter points out, juxtaposing the state's educational needs against its expenditures on migrant services.
Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano echoed the sentiment, connecting the border crisis to broader societal impacts within New York. "The illegal immigrants and Fentanyl coming into our state have reached a crisis level... These are all related to Biden's open border, and Gov. Hochul must take a leadership role in this crisis," DeStefano stated, highlighting the intertwined issues of immigration, drug trafficking, and public safety.
The Republican leaders' call to action concludes with a plea for Governor Hochul to leverage her authority for the greater good of New York State's security and well-being. "Our constituents and colleagues are demanding action, leadership, and results in response to the migrant crisis," they affirmed, urging a swift and decisive response to a challenge that transcends political boundaries.
As New York grapples with the complexities of the migrant crisis, the dialogue initiated by Barclay and Ortt with Governor Hochul opens a critical conversation on state-level responses to national security concerns. Their request reflects the urgency of the situation and the broader debate on the role of states in safeguarding borders and communities in an era of unprecedented challenges.