Tenney leads letter to President Biden regarding the resettlement of migrants in Upstate New York

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) today led a letter with members of the New York congressional delegation to President Biden regarding the settlement of migrants in Upstate New York.

The letter was also signed by Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19), and Congressman Langworthy (NY-23).

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “This unprecedented influx of migrants into the United States is an obvious sign of your administration’s failed policies at the Southern Border. Rather than shifting the burden to the small communities we represent that are not equipped to handle the influx, the answer is to secure the border. Already, your current policies have created a humanitarian and national security catastrophe which undermines the rule of law and empowers human traffickers and criminal gangs.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that migrants were resettled in Jamestown, New York, a small city in Chautauqua County about an hour from Buffalo, New York.

“It is essential that the Biden Administration finally provide transparency to New Yorkers regarding how the crisis at the southern border is affecting our small Upstate and Western New York communities. Under Biden, every state has become a border state, and because of this, our Upstate communities our suffering. It is my privilege to lead this letter demanding President Biden not only address this crisis but provide answers to why he is making our communities pay for his mistakes,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

“Joe Biden’s failure to enforce the law at our the border has made every state a border state. Instead of securing the border, President Biden is shifting the burden of the influx of illegal migrants onto New York communities. Upstate New York should not be punished for Biden’s Border Crisis,” said Congresswoman Stefanik.

“As the husband of someone who immigrated to this country, I understand the importance of legal immigration and have seen firsthand how broken our current system is. We must, however, secure our porous Southern border and have an orderly process for those who wish to come here. The Biden Administration’s decision to ship migrants to communities in New York and elsewhere across America without any coordination with the local officials in those towns shifts the burden to those who simply lack the resources to provide. The end result is local taxpayers being on the hook for a problem that the federal government created, overwhelming schools, housing, and other scarce, vital resources. It is past time for the Biden Administration to stop playing politics with our nation’s broken immigration system, work with local officials rather than overwhelm them, and prioritize border security,” said Congressman Lawler.

“We need complete transparency surrounding any plan to relocate migrants to Upstate New York. I am proud to join Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and New York Republicans in pushing President Biden for answers,” said Congressman Molinaro.

“It’s wrong and unfair to place this burden on local communities because the White House has completely abdicated their responsibility to secure our border and require legal immigration. I would invite the so-called “Border Czar” Vice President Harris to come visit the community I was born in, but I won’t hold my breath. If this is a problem in a city with 9 million people, imagine the strain it’s causing on a city the size of Jamestown,” said Congressman Langworthy.

Read the full letter here.

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