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Malliotakis, Zeldin to Hochul: Stop Incentivizing Illegal Migration, Call on POTUS to Secure Border

August 16, 2022

(NEW YORK, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01) yesterday called on Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams to stop incentivizing illegal migration and join calls for President Biden to secure the southern border following an influx of migrants arriving in New York City.

"I'm the daughter of immigrants; I understand the aspirations of those who are coming to our country in search of the American Dream," Malliotakis said. "My office has helped 65 immigrants from 15 different countries become United States citizens since last year, but what we're seeing transpire along our southern border and now on the streets of New York is unacceptable and lacks common sense. The reality is President Biden and Governor Hochul have incentivized illegal immigration with free college tuition, health care, and housing. The Mayor's right - the influx of migrants is a burden on our city's resources, hospitals, and schools, but what is he doing about it? He and the governor aren't joining our calls to stop this where it's actually starting. Stop the hypocrisy, stop the incentives, and let's be serious about public safety, protecting taxpayers, and getting the border crisis under control. They should be joining Congressman Zeldin and I in calling on President Biden to secure our border, reinstate Remain in Mexico, and end 'catch and release'."

In New York State, undocumented immigrants are eligible to receive free health care, college tuition, shelter, and stimulus checks. Last week, Malliotakis and Zeldin along with the entire New York Republican Congressional Delegation called on Hochulto support the repeal of New York’s “Green Light” law which allows undocumented immigrants to obtain New York driver's licenses and prevent federal immigration officials from accessing state DMV records without a search warrant.

Additionally, two suspected Mexican drug cartel members werearrestedlast month in New York City for possessing $1.2 million worth of crystal meth. Despite being caught by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the two men were cut loose on supervised release because of New York's lax bail law, further showing how the cartels are exploiting our open borders to smuggle illicit substances onto New York streets and driving up historic overdose rates among New Yorkers. 

"Governor Hochul needs to take immediate, substantive action to repeal New York’s ‘Green Light’ law, speak out against the Biden Administration’s influx of illegal immigrants into New York, and roll back the many policies that incentivize illegal entry,"Zeldin said. "The Biden Administration needs to finish construction of the border wall, end catch and release, enforce the Remain in Mexico policy, support our Customs and Border Protection officers, and stop encouraging and rewarding illegal entry."

WATCH MALLIOTAKIS & ZELDIN'S PRESS CONFERENCE HERE.

Issues:Congress