The future of immigration enforcement is a defining issue in the upcoming Democratic primary in the 21st Congressional District.
“Let me be clear: Yes, we need to dismantle and replace ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as we know it and replace it with an immigration enforcement agency that respects the rule of law, due process and the dignity of all people,” said Stuart Amoriell, one of two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, in a WRGB 6 Albany debate Thursday.
The federal ICE agency has been criticized in recent months as employing strong-arm and secretive tactics.
Asked if he agrees with Amoriell, Blake Gendebien, the other candidate, responded, “People come here from around the world to make their lives better, have wonderful opportunities … Anybody that wants to come here to work hard is a good person in my books, and a good person in the North Country’s books.”
Asked specifically if he would vote to withhold funding in the federal budget for ICE, Gendebien said, “No, what I will support is changing the leadership and make sure that all law enforcement operates with accountability with the same rules.
“Nobody should be unidentifiable and should have body cams.”
In a recent Mountain Lakes PBS TV interview, Gendebien said ICE agents should carry identification, wear traditional police uniforms and not wear masks.
In the debate, Gendebien said he supports deporting undocumented immigrants who commit crimes.
“Yes, we need to secure the border. Yes, we need to deport violent criminals who are here illegally, with due process,” said Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon in St. Lawrence County.
Amoriell, a restaurant owner from Lake Placid, suggested there is a mindset among some that all immigrants are evil.
“We are told by those on the Right that immigrants are bad for America, they are bad for our communities and they are bad for our economies,” he said. “Let’s call this what it is: nothing but a racist lie.”
Gendebien said the immigration system should be reformed to make it easier for migrants to obtain work visas in industries, such as farming, food processing, health care and tourism.
“I have an army of farmers behind me that are dying for common-sense reform so that we have a secure and stable workforce,” he said.
Amoriell called for reforming the agricultural work visa program and allowing undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S.
“We do this by creating a pathway to citizenship for all those law-abiding immigrants that have been in the shadows for decades and generations,” he said.
Amoriell and Gendebien are seeking the Democratic nomination for the House seat that is open because six-term Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) is not seeking reelection.
The candidates were collegial and policy-focused during the nearly hour-long debate, which can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=yT68OjNa0Ck.
HEALTH CARE
Both candidates said affordability, health care and immigration will be the top issues in the general election.
“For too long, we have treated health care as a luxury for and a privilege for the wealthy,” Amoriell said. “I think we need universal health care as a basic human right. We need a public option that puts on a path to a single-payer system.”
The concept of a “public option” would establish a voluntary federal health insurance plan that would be open to everyone, but people could still choose to be covered under private health plans. It was part of early discussions on Obamacare but not included in the final legislation.
Amoriell has said he does not support current “Medicare for All” legislation that would require Medicare to cover everyone, not just the elderly and disabled. Amoriell has previously said Medicare for All sounds good on the surface, but cannot gain bipartisan support.
Gendebien has said he does not support the Medicare for All legislation; his focus is on reversing Medicaid cuts that were part of the 2025 Big Beautiful Bill.
“I want better lives for everyone. … and that includes taking our hospitals that are tied to the railroad tracks waiting for the locomotive of Medicaid cuts to come crush them,” Gendebien said in the debate.
“I want to take them off, and I want to support the things that are necessary to have better lives in the North Country.”
Both candidates said they would vote to withdraw from the Iran conflict under terms of the War Powers Act, which requires the president to consult Congress before introducing U.S. armed forces into hostilities or withdrew within 60 days.
“It is time that Congress stops abdicating its constitutional authority, exercise the War Powers Act and brings an end to the Iran conflict,” Amoriell said.
“In Congress, I will work to assert our War Powers authority before any more of our young people die and before our costs continue to go through the roof,” Gendebien said.
PRIMARY INFORMATION
The NY-21 primary is June 23. Early voting began Saturday and continues through June 21.
Gendebien already has an independent line, assuring him a spot on the general election ballot, regardless of the outcome of the Democratic primary. However, he has said he will support the Democratic nominee in the general election.
Anthony Constantino, an Amsterdam businessman, and Robert Smullen, a state Assembly member from Johnstown, will face off for the Republican nomination.
Smullen already has the Conservative nomination, and Constantino has an independent line, assuring both spots on the general election ballot regardless of the outcome of the Republican primary.