Republicans in the New York State Senate and Assembly are calling for a tougher approach on police interactions with migrants who are in the United States without government permission.The GOP is frustrated with current state policies in New York that prohibit local and state law enforcement from reporting run-ins with migrants to federal immigration officials. A new bill introduced in Albany would change that.On Tuesday, Republicans serving in the New York Senate and Assembly blasted current policies they said are too soft on migrants who commit crimes. Their legislation would require local and state law enforcement, as well as some courts, to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the arrest or conviction of non-citizens.NBC5 News talked with North Country lawmakers from both sides of the aisle about the issue of police cooperating with ICE on the handling of migrants.”I think it’s important, so that we can keep our communities safe,” said Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-NY 114, who supports the new bill. “We should know how many incidents are arising out of people who have migrated here.”Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, said even though New York City is most associated with the migrant crisis, the issue has ripple effects statewide.”Some people may say, ‘Well, this is a New York City problem, this isn’t an Upstate problem.’ Well, you know, Upstate is about to pay for it,” Stec said. “Because Upstate is — according to the Governor, if she has her way — we’re going to have half of our schools lose money. Where’s that money going? She wants to send $2.4-billion more, in addition to the $1.9-billion last year, to New York City.”Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-NY 115, acknowledged the need for immigration reform, but said state lawmakers are not the ones who should be dealing with the issue. He criticized the Republicans’ proposal, saying leaving immigration enforcement to the states would create a patchwork of policies across the country.”The federal government needs to fix this problem,” Jones argued. “Immigration is a federal government issue. They need to fix these issues with immigration, it’s a mess.”Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, recently called for the deportation of two reported migrants accused of beating up two New York City Police officers last month.At their press conference Tuesday, Republicans said they were encouraged by that attitude from the governor, calling on her to do even more to get tough on the flow of migrants into New York State.The governor has repeatedly called on the federal government for aid, and to do more to address the ongoing crisis on the southern border. Hochul has also advocated for a program to expedite work permits for migrants.
Republicans in the New York State Senate and Assembly are calling for a tougher approach on police interactions with migrants who are in the United States without government permission.
The GOP is frustrated with current state policies in New York that prohibit local and state law enforcement from reporting run-ins with migrants to federal immigration officials. A new bill introduced in Albany would change that.
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On Tuesday, Republicans serving in the New York Senate and Assembly blasted current policies they said are too soft on migrants who commit crimes. Their legislation would require local and state law enforcement, as well as some courts, to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the arrest or conviction of non-citizens.
NBC5 News talked with North Country lawmakers from both sides of the aisle about the issue of police cooperating with ICE on the handling of migrants.
“I think it’s important, so that we can keep our communities safe,” said Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-NY 114, who supports the new bill. “We should know how many incidents are arising out of people who have migrated here.”
Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, said even though New York City is most associated with the migrant crisis, the issue has ripple effects statewide.
“Some people may say, ‘Well, this is a New York City problem, this isn’t an Upstate problem.’ Well, you know, Upstate is about to pay for it,” Stec said. “Because Upstate is — according to the Governor, if she has her way — we’re going to have half of our schools lose money. Where’s that money going? She wants to send $2.4-billion more, in addition to the $1.9-billion last year, to New York City.”
Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-NY 115, acknowledged the need for immigration reform, but said state lawmakers are not the ones who should be dealing with the issue. He criticized the Republicans’ proposal, saying leaving immigration enforcement to the states would create a patchwork of policies across the country.
“The federal government needs to fix this problem,” Jones argued. “Immigration is a federal government issue. They need to fix these issues with immigration, it’s a mess.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, recently called for the deportation of two reported migrants accused of beating up two New York City Police officers last month.
At their press conference Tuesday, Republicans said they were encouraged by that attitude from the governor, calling on her to do even more to get tough on the flow of migrants into New York State.
The governor has repeatedly called on the federal government for aid, and to do more to address the ongoing crisis on the southern border. Hochul has also advocated for a program to expedite work permits for migrants.
