Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, by virtue of his position as president of the New York State County Executives’ Association (NYSCEA) is taking a lead role in urging prompt federal action to deal with the border crisis. Neuhaus began his one-year term as the organization’s president in January. He and Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, president of the New York state Association of Counties (NYSAC), jointly wrote to President Biden and members of Congress expressing what they view as the pressing need for immediate border action.
NYSCEA represents the 19 counties that have county executives as the chief elected official. NYSAC represents New York’s 62 counties, including New York City, before federal, state and local officials on matters that affect county governments.
Neuhaus and McCoy were with a group of county executives from New York that visited the southern border in March, including a trip into Mexico. They met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents and learned about illegal crossings, drug and human smuggling, gaps in physical border barriers, and the strain on resources of the agencies charged with securing the border.
Neuhaus said that the migrant crisis is significant for the residents of Orange County.
“The challenges at the southern border directly impact the safety and well-being of Orange County residents,” Neuhaus said. “Addressing this crisis is not only a national issue; it’s also a matter of grave local concern. We must ensure the security of our borders and the integrity of our communities.”
In their letter, Neuhaus and McCoy urged Biden and congressional leaders to “secure the border by using every emergency power at your disposal to immediately prevent, or drastically reduce, any further flow of individuals from crossing the U.S. Border. The situation is dire. For example, we were informed by USBP that approximately 34,000 unaccounted for migrants have crossed in one area of the New Mexico/Mexican Border since October. Their current whereabouts and countries of origin are completely unknown, which is a major national security risk. At that same site, USBP advised us that we must leave by dusk as the border is controlled by cartels after dark, which accounts for why this area is so porous.”
Neuhaus and McCoy said that while visiting the border they learned that much of the technology in use is outdated. For example, they found that old black and white cameras were being used for border surveillance instead of more modern devices.
They called for a change in rules so that New York counties can directly apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding under its Shelter and Services Program to help pay for providing shelter, food and support services to migrants.
“We urge you to prioritize addressing the migrant crisis and implementing comprehensive reforms to our immigration system. The well-being of our communities, the dignity of migrants, and the bedrock ideals of the United States of America depend on swift and decisive action,” Neuhaus and McCoy told Biden and the congressional leaders.
