Saratoga, N.Y., — Today, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik joined Congressman Nick Langworthy (R-NY) in introducing the Safeguarding America from Extremists Risks (SAFER) at the Border Act.
“The Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul embraced and fully supported Joe Biden’s catastrophic open border policies. She has put all New Yorkers at risk by prioritizing illegals first and New Yorkers LAST with her sanctuary state policies,” said Chairwoman Stefanik. “Today, I am announcing I am co-leading the SAFER at the Border Act with Congressman Nick Langworthy to keep dangerous criminal illegals from terrorizing New York and our nation’s streets. The legislation closes loopholes that were exploited by Kathy Hochul’s failed policies and Joe Biden’s reckless abuse of immigration parole. Terrorists, transnational criminals, and dangerous foreign nationals invaded our sovereign nation under the corrupt and failed leadership of Kathy Hochul. We must put law-abiding New Yorkers first and secure our borders.”
“My constituents are fed up with the flood of murderers, terrorists, and dangerous individuals that poured into our communities across New York State—all because of the reckless, failed open-border policies of the Biden administration,” said Congressman Langworthy. “A nation without secure borders is a nation in decline, and it’s time we take bold, decisive action to reverse the chaos of the last four years.”
The SAFER at the Border Act would:
- Bar parole for high-risk aliens by preventing immigration parole to known terrorists, members of transnational criminal organizations, or those flagged in federal threat databases.
- End loopholes for refugee parole by prohibiting the parole of refugees into the United States outside of the established refugee admission process.
- Target national security threats by ensuring that individuals linked to terrorism, espionage, or foreign criminal networks are prohibited from entering the U.S.
Background:
In recent years, hundreds of individuals on the nation’s terrorist watchlist were encountered and apprehended at our nation’s borders including at the Swanton Sector in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
For example, an admitted Hezbollah-trained individual, Basel Bassel Ebbadi crossed our border illegally in March 2024 stating he intended to build a bomb. He is currently facing deportation.
Read the bill here.
