Connect with us

New York

There will be no vote on the bipartisan northern border security bill for months

Published

on

There will be no vote on the bipartisan northern border security bill for months

New York – After a sharp rise in unauthorized border crossings at New York’s shared border with Canada, federal lawmakers have decided not to move to bolster security at the northern frontier.
Bipartisan legislation to combat the trafficking of illegal guns and drugs was introduced by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand this week. Unauthorized crossings at the northern border have surged over 240% between 2022 and 2023 and have more than doubled this year, creating a burden on local resources.

The bill, introduced in the House by Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy of Western New York, would provide more funding to North Country towns, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, so they could conduct a three-year analysis of border threats.

“While we still have a lot fewer migrants crossing our northern border than our southern border, the problem has been compounded by the fact the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t updated its northern border strategy since 2018,” Gillibrand told reporters on Wednesday.

Additionally, monthly updates to the Department of Homeland Security’s Northern Border policy regarding tensions and changes at the Canadian border would be required.

The bill was passed out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday by a unanimous vote of US senators.

However, House members cannot vote on policies until after Election Day on November 5. As a result, months will pass before government action is taken, even though thousands more families enter the country through New York.

Additionally, Gillibrand stated that North Country villages are still unprepared to deal with this fresh wave of migration.

“Because we’ve had such a huge increase in the number of cross-border smuggling of people, guns and drugs, we need a better strategy,” she stated.

In collaboration with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Langworthy presented the House bill in June and this week, he introduced it in the Senate.

“With hundreds of thousands of unidentified people flooding into our communities every year, our northern border—the longest unguarded border in the world—poses a major threat to our national security,” Langworthy said in a statement. “I introduced the Northern Border Security Enhancement and Review Act to hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable and ensure they report to Congress because the Biden-Harris administration’s negligence has left us completely vulnerable.” This law demands greater transparency from the Biden-Harris Administration over matters pertaining to national security and sovereignty, beyond merely being necessary.

However, political disagreements usually stop immigration reform efforts in their tracks.

Gillibrand called it shameful that Republicans would not allow a bipartisan immigration bill to come to a vote this spring. The bill would have funded the hiring of hundreds more border patrol agents as well as improved technology, and it would have boosted security at the borders between the United States Mexico, and Canada.

Republican legislators in the area have urged the state to act in the interim to enhance coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement. The Republican-led campaign to overturn New York’s statute in border counties that allows illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license and provide federal law enforcement with their information has been spearheaded by Assemblyman Scott Gray of Watertown.

Gray added that the police in the counties of St. Lawrence and Clinton have informed him that they require additional resources or assistance from the state to handle the influx of migrants crossing the northern border.

“All we’re saying is, we have to put procedures back in place,” Gray stated. “A head of police informed me that they would be permanently barred from the system should they unintentionally communicate anything with a federal agent. The inability of a federal agent to determine if someone they pull over has a warrant against them makes it paradoxical and unproductive to provide even the most basic level of public safety.”

Both political parties’ officials concur that action is necessary, but since the election is quickly approaching, a solution is still unattainable.

“This needs a multi-layer approach,” Gray added. “I don’t believe it to be a federal matter. I believe that each of us has a duty in this situation. It’s a state and federal problem, and we also need to provide the resources necessary to local law enforcement to deal with it directly.”

State Budget Division officials stated on Wednesday that it is almost hard to put a number on how the state is helping North Country villages deal with the increased demand on their resources brought on by the rise in these crossings. The state has set aside $4.3 billion to assist towns in covering costs associated with the migration wave entering New York; nevertheless, local governments will need to submit their claims for reimbursement to the state.

 

 

Advertisement

Trending