Prior to Thursday’s U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s meeting on local illegal border crossings in Porter, local state and government officials and members of law enforcement gathered at Lewiston’s Riverfront Park to speak on the issue and call for more security along the northern border.
Over the past year, nearly 92,000 illegal crossings were reported here in New York state, according to state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, who blamed state policies such as the “Green Light Law” and executive orders preventing local and state law enforcement from working with their federal counterparts.
Last week, Ortt along with Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, urging her to activate the New York State National Guard to protect the border with Canada — and assist with securing the southern border as well.
Ortt said while enlisted in the New York National Guard, he was deployed to Arizona in support of Operation Jump Start — during which the state National Guard was sent to assist four states along the southern border to assist the US Border Patrol.
“Our constituents are demanding action, leadership, and results in response to the migrant crisis. An effective response is long overdue. Our state must place the needs of our law-abiding, legal residents before those who illegally enter our country and seek to exploit our laws for personal gain,” concluded Leader Ortt.
Added Assemblyman Angello Morinello, “The Biden administration has failed to secure the southern border, and we are now starting to see the surge of illegal immigration on the northern border particularly on our own Niagara River because of it. There are not enough CBP agents and migrant facilities currently to control each border. Until policies such as ‘remain in Mexico’ and ‘catch & deport’ are put back into place, we will continue to see wave after wave of illegal immigration.”