The op-ed below is from New Hampshire State Senate Republicans
Every state in the nation has felt the impact of the uncontrolled wave of illegal immigration. Every state, indeed, every town in America, is confronting the scourge of fentanyl drug abuse often trafficked across the open borders. Further, several hundred individuals on the terror watch list have illegally crossed Americas open borders. The FBI director has warned it is a real and serious threat.
Last year, there was a 620 percent increase in illegal border crossings across the border sector that New Hampshire shares with Vermont and New York between October 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023, compared to the same period the year before. If the federal government remains unwilling to address illegal border crossings, states must.
That is why the legislature allocated $1.4 million to the Northern Border Alliance. It’s also why Republicans on the fiscal committee approved funding per Gov. Sununu’s request for the New Hampshire National Guard to assist Texas officials on the Mexican border.
Senate Republicans have opposed Defunding the Police and are now proposing to take action banning Sanctuary City policies. These policies are putting dangerous criminals back on our streets when they should be deported.
Some Democrats are finally starting to realize that Sanctuary City policies threaten public safety. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams is pleading with his city council to start turning over dangerous criminals in the country illegally to federal immigration officials. Even the Biden White House is now begging Sanctuary Cities to stop protecting dangerous illegal aliens.
This pattern has become tragically familiar. The Biden administration’s Open Border policies attract millions of people, including an unknown number of violent criminals and military age men of hostile nations. They either sneak into the U.S. undetected or are caught and released at the border. When these illegal entrants commit crimes in Sanctuary Cities, they are shielded from deportation and set free by radical left-wing prosecutors. The criminals then go on to commit more crimes.
A Venezuelan man who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022 was reportedly arrested and released in New York last year. He has now been charged with the heinous murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Another Venezuelan man caught and released at the border last year was arrested in Virginia for the sexual assault of a minor. An El Salvadoran man who had been ordered for deportation, yet was released twice, has been charged with shooting a 2-year-old child in Maryland. These cases were just last month.
New Hampshire is the safest state in the nation, but we are not immune. Last August, an illegal mass murderer from Brazil was arrested in Rye. That’s why we must continue to take action in the New Hampshire Senate to keep us the safest state in the nation.
This week, we will be taking up SB 563 to block Sanctuary Cities in New Hampshire. We will also vote on SB 504 which will enable local law enforcement to arrest people illegally crossing the northern border. When illegal aliens are arrested in the Granite State, they should be turned over to federal authorities for arrest or deportation.
By adopting these types of policies, we reduce the incentives for illegal aliens to come to New Hampshire.
On a bipartisan basis, the Senate has approved legislation to address the “catch and release” bail system that lets defendants who have repeatedly failed to appear on prior charges back on the street. The House is working on this important legislation also.
This continuous wave of violent crime by people who shouldn’t even be in the country must stop. Open borders, Sanctuary Cities, and Defund the Police policies all compound the problem. Sadly, many states lack the will to reduce crimes committed by illegal aliens. In New Hampshire, we are providing our law enforcement communities the resources and support they need to get the job done.
We will not let New Hampshire become a magnet for criminals seeking sanctuary from immigration laws. We will not let violent offenders and habitual bail jumpers back on the streets without determining if they are a threat to our residents. New Hampshire Republicans are fighting to keep our communities safe.
