(NewsReady.com) – The southern border is a chaotic mess right now and has been for three years. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have blamed President Joe Biden’s policies. A congresswoman is now raising alarms about a potential problem on the northern border, too.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) issued a warning about the number of undocumented migrants being encountered at the northern border. The congresswoman held a press conference with Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) to discuss the topic. Stefanik pointed out that the House Homeland Security Committee was marking up articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to hold “him accountable for his breach of the public trust and willful refusal to enforce [America’s] laws.”
Stefanik brought up the US-Canada border, saying that in the previous three months, there have been “more illegal crossings than the total of both 2021 and 2022 combined.” She claimed Governor Kathy Hochul (D) wants New Yorkers to pay $2.4 billion to subsidize the border crisis.
The congresswoman is correct that border crossings on the northern border are up. There were a reported 189,402 encounters on America’s longest border in fiscal year 2023. That number includes people who arrived at legal points of entry and requested asylum, as well as illegal immigrants who tried to cross into the US. In November, Customs and Border Protection issued a warning about trying to cross into the US through the Canadian border, saying the harsh conditions in the winter were dangerous. That has not stopped people from trying.
As for the $2.4 billion Stefanik mentioned, she was referring to what Hochul said she would need to deal with the immigration crisis impacting New York. The Republican congresswoman argued that if the Democratic governor really wanted to help her state, she would support Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) efforts to keep migrants out.
While all of this is happening, there’s a fight on Capitol Hill over a border security/immigration bill. A number of Republicans have said they will not vote for a bipartisan bill to deal with the crisis because it could give President Joe Biden a win in an election year.
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