New York’s Third Congressional District is home to many immigrant families and communities whose contributions over many decades are deeply rooted in New York. The American people are broadly supportive of immigrants. However, they don’t like the Biden Administration policies that have led to lawlessness, chaos at the southern border and New York City overrun with thousands of migrants unsheltered on sidewalks. In addition, sending migrants into Nassau County is not a solution to this problem. We need leaders at the federal level who will work to find real solutions to our broken system.

As Congressman I will:

Ensure humane and strong border security. We must uphold the integrity of our immigration system, secure our borders, and detain and deport criminals. We can do so while ensuring those who arrive at our border are not left to drown or die of heat stroke and dehydration. The republican led Secure the Border Act of 2023 is a good starting point to achieve meaningful reform to our broken system. 

Fix the broken asylum process. The Biden Administration terminated the Trump Administration enacted Asylum Cooperative Agreements but failed to put anything in place to stop the abuse of the asylum process. We must enact policies that discourage unfounded asylum claims and the episodic flow of migrant caravans. There are a number of reform measures we could do but the first step should empower Asylum Officers to conduct both the initial screening and the final determination of Asylum cases. Currently, there are 1.6 million asylum-seekers waiting for an asylum hearing in the U.S., according to federal data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. We must fix this pressure point in order to make broader reforms. 

Increased federal funding must include policy changes in New York. A portion of NY-3 includes New York City where the migrant crisis is most acute but spilling into the broader region. NYC is spending billions of dollars to address this problem. The federal government should be responsible for the 100,000 migrants that have arrived in NYC. With costs expected to exceed $12 billion by the end 2024 this will create budget pressure and cuts to city services without federal help. Responsibility also includes New York officials that have created sanctuary policies migrants have exploited. These policies must be reformed. As Congressman, I will be a vocal advocate for the Biden Administration to deliver federal funding to NYC and surrounding communities impacted by the migrant crisis. 

Advocate for more trade with Mexico and Central America. Mexico became the top U.S. trading partner at the beginning of 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. I believe we should do even more by increasing our manufacturing trade with Mexico and Central America, and less with China. This would help stabilize their economies and society which are foundational to controlling the flow of people and goods at the southern border.