LaLota: “Don’t NYC Our Suffolk County”

HAUPPAUGE, NY - Today, May 21st, 2023, Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-01), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, gave remarks at a press conference with Suffolk County officials following reports that New York City, which is dealing with a large number of illegal migrants arriving in the city, would be bussing illegal migrants to neighboring counties, including Suffolk County.

“We are a nation of immigrants and we are damn proud of it. We are also a nation of rules and laws that must be followed,” said LaLota. “During a time of economic uncertainty and record inflation, we cannot take away resources from Americans in need. The reckless open border policies of the Biden Administration and Mayor Adams’ sanctuary city created this crisis, they should not be able to place their burden on the people of Suffolk County.”

To watch LaLota’s full remarks, click HERE, or read them below.

“We are a nation of immigrants. We are proud of our immigrant heritage. We have come from many different nations to this nation, and we have come here legally. We are also a nation of rules and laws.

“If we are to maintain the greatness of being the greatest nation the world has ever known, we must continue to be a nation of rules and laws. To that, New York City officials have bragged for years that they were a sanctuary city, that rules and laws did not apply to people who are in this country illegally.

“If you’re in the five boroughs, that is the policy choice that officials of New York City consciously made and bragged about. For years, concurrent with a lack of rule of law, the Biden Administration has allowed more than one million illegal immigrants to cross our Southern Border between ports of entry to get to our country.

“We here in Suffolk County are 2,000 miles from the southern border, but we have become a border county because of the Biden Administration's failed border policies and the sanctuary city policies of New York City, which have tended to become a magnet, drawing people across that Southern Border. New York City has made those policy choices. Their elected officials have not only put those choices into law, they have held press conferences bragging about that. They have made those choices.

“Predictably, their resources have now become overrun. Homeless folks, Veterans, and the Mentally Impaired. People who are suffering from substance abuse now have less or no resources because of the predictable reaction of so many people coming to New York City for those sanctuary city policies.

“I say to the mayor of New York City, Sir, put your money where your mouth is. You have made those choices to make New York City a sanctuary city. Those are your choices, Sir. Now it's time for you to put up the money and the resources to accept the consequences of those public choices.

“Suffolk County has put itself, via the elected officials behind me, on a different trajectory. We have different values that honor law-abiding citizens and taxpayers before anybody else. And I commend the presiding officers and legislature's actions to protect the choices that we have made to be a nation of legal immigrants and law and order.

“I appreciate your time this Sunday morning and I look forward to engaging you more on this.”

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