Ortt seeks more security along northern border due to illegal crossings

Photo from Sen. Ortt’s Office: Rob Ortt, the State Senate Republican leader, speaks today at the Town of Lewiston Riverfront Park. He is joined by State Assembly Members Angelo Morinello and Mike Norris, Town of Lewiston Supervisor Steve Broderick, Town of Porter Supervisor Duffy Johnson, Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch, Youngstown Mayor Rob Reisman, Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti, and Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte.

Posted 8 February 2024 at 8:18 pm

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

LEWISTON – State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt was joined today by members of the New York State Assembly, local government officials and members of law enforcement to call for more security along the Northern Border – and revisit policies that New York State have enacted that entice illegal aliens to flock to the state.

In recent weeks, rafts have been spotted crossing the Niagara River from Canada to the United States, residents along the shores of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario have raised concerns over an increase in trespassers and suspicious vehicles, and drones have been caught ferrying loads of drugs, weapons and cash between the United States and Canada.

“These examples are just the latest in what I see as New York Democrats devaluing what it means to be a citizen of our country and legal resident of our state,” Ortt said. “New York Democrats are more concerned with the woke ideology of a Sanctuary State, welcoming illegal aliens and writing blank checks to support them all while slashing the budgets of our schools and essential services to taxpayers in order to provide over $4.3 billion to asylum seekers.”

Over the past year, nearly 92,000 illegal crossings were reported here in New York State – and thanks to policies set forth by far-left Democrats, law-enforcement agencies are handcuffed when it comes to dealing with the problem. New York State policies such as the “Green Light Law” and Executive Orders preventing local and state law enforcement from working with their federal counterparts have made New York State a refuge for illegal immigration.

“Assuring the safety of our communities is the paramount role of the government,” said Assemblyman Mike Norris of Lockport. “To do this, we must be certain that our borders are secure and that everyone entering our country is properly vetted with health and criminal background checks. Further, recent New York State laws have severely limited the ability of our law enforcement agencies and border security officers to ensure compliance with immigration rules. Action must be taken now to reverse these laws in order to provide law enforcement and border officers the proper tools to protect communities.”

Last week, Ortt along with Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay wrote a letter to Governor Hochul, urging her to activate the New York State National Guard to not only protect our borders with Canada, but to assist with securing the Southern Border as well.

“Our constituents are demanding action, leadership, and results in response to the migrant crisis,” Ortt said. “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.”