Homeland Security: Border and Immigration

Border Security & Immigration

For decades preceding the 2020’s, leaders of both parties agreed that America should be a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. President Bill Clinton captured that principle perfectly in his 1995 State of the Union:

"We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it."

Those words came from a Democrat president, but they reflect a simple truth: America should welcome legal immigration while faithfully enforcing its immigration laws.

Unfortunately, President Biden abandoned that commonsense approach. By ending Remain in Mexico, dramatically expanding parole, and weakening immigration enforcement, his administration helped create the worst border crisis in modern American history. Many states and cities compounded the problem by adopting sanctuary policies that barred cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Some jurisdictions even spent taxpayer dollars on housing, health care, legal services, and other benefits for those here illegally.

Repairing the damage will take time. In Congress, I have consistently voted to secure the border, deport dangerous criminal illegal immigrants, protect taxpayers, safeguard the integrity of our elections, and support practical immigration reforms for those who have lived and worked peacefully in America while respecting those who followed our laws to come here legally.

From Biden's Border Crisis to New York's Sanctuary State

The Biden Administration demonstrated what happens when the federal government abandons immigration enforcement. It dismantled effective Trump-era border policies, halted border wall construction, expanded parole and catch-and-release, and allowed millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country. The consequences strained communities, enriched criminal cartels, and undermined confidence in our immigration system.

New York Democrats compounded those failures. New York City's sanctuary policies and taxpayer-funded housing, health care, and legal services made the city a magnet for illegal immigration, and Mayor Mamdani has only doubled down.

The consequences can be tragic. Laken Riley's killer entered the country illegally, was released by the Biden Administration, and was later arrested by New York City police before being released again. He ultimately went on to murder Laken Riley in Georgia.

Albany Democrats have weakened election safeguards by issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants while mismanaging public benefit programs that have left taxpayers footing the bill for benefits provided to those here illegally. Governor Hochul went even further by signing legislation prohibiting local law enforcement from entering 287(g) agreements with federal immigration authorities, making it harder for local officers to cooperate with ICE in removing dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.

Now those sanctuary policies have reached Long Island. East Hampton became the first community in Suffolk County to restrict cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. More recently, Organización Latino Americana has encouraged municipalities across Long Island to adopt similar sanctuary policies. Fortunately, 106 of Long Island's 108 towns and villages, including Democrat-led Southold, Riverhead, and Southampton, have rejected those efforts because public safety depends on communication and cooperation between local and federal law enforcement.

Sanctuary policies don't make communities safer. They make law enforcement's job harder.

A Secure Border Is a Policy Choice

The contrast at the border is unmistakable. President Trump restored enforcement, and a Republican Congress funded additional border security personnel, detention capacity, immigration judges, and enforcement resources. Illegal border crossings fell to their lowest levels in more than 50 years. The laws didn't change. The willingness to enforce them did.

Border security is not an impossible challenge. It is a policy choice.

My Record: Security, Enforcement and Accountability

Since joining the House Homeland Security Committee in my first term, I have worked to strengthen border security, combat sanctuary policies, stop fentanyl trafficking, and protect American taxpayers.

I helped pass the Secure the Border Act, introduced the bipartisan No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, and authored the bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which was signed into law in December 2024 to strengthen the Department of Homeland Security's ability to detect fentanyl, xylazine, and emerging illicit drugs before they reach our communities.

I have supported tougher penalties and deportation for dangerous criminal illegal immigrants, greater transparency regarding national security threats crossing our border, and legislation protecting taxpayer-funded benefits and voting rights reserved for American citizens.

When East Hampton adopted sanctuary policies, I made clear that I would not support Community Project Funding requests from municipalities that deliberately obstruct lawful cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Local governments should not expect federal taxpayers to subsidize policies that make it harder for law enforcement to keep dangerous criminals off our streets.

Secure the Border—and Fix the Broken System

Border security alone is not immigration reform. That's why I've bucked partisan orthodoxy by cosponsoring the bipartisan DIGNITY Act. The legislation combines strong border enforcement and asylum reform with a structured, earned legal status—but not citizenship—for individuals who pass background checks, meet strict requirements, pay penalties, and demonstrate they are contributing to our communities. It also respects the millions of people who have followed our laws and waited patiently to immigrate legally.

My position is straightforward: secure the border first, enforce our immigration laws, deport dangerous criminal illegal immigrants, protect taxpayers and the integrity of our elections, and modernize our legal immigration system with strength, fairness, and common sense. America can remain both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.