New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has expressed his frustration with the Biden administration's handling of the illegal immigration crisis.
In response, he has announced the establishment of a Northern Border Alliance Task Force, funded by $1.4 million from the state's current budget.
This initiative aims to strengthen state and local law enforcement patrols along the 58-mile border that New Hampshire shares with Canada.
Governor Sununu revealed this plan during a press briefing on Thursday. His decision comes in the wake of reports indicating a significant rise in illegal crossings at northern ports of entry over the past year. Alarmingly, these incidents include encounters with individuals on terrorist watch lists.
The recent Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and subsequent threats directed at the United States have heightened concerns. Governor Sununu referred to the border crisis as a "national security risk," vowing not to take any risks. "Encounters with individuals on the terrorist watch list at the ports of entry on the northern border have doubled since 2017," he stated. "There have been more apprehensions along our northern border in just this past year than in the last ten years combined."
Governor Sununu further cautioned that the threats to national security "are becoming more and more obvious every day." Consequently, he emphasized the need for additional targeted resources and a comprehensive approach. "It is made very clear to us that we do need more targeted resources. We need to provide an all-hands-on-deck approach," he said.
In collaboration with state attorney general John Formella, Governor Sununu announced the formation of the Northern Border Alliance Task Force. This task force will be a cooperative effort involving state, county, and local law enforcement, including forest rangers and Fish and Game officers. According to Fox News, the departments plan to increase border patrol hours from 55 per month to 10,000 hours over the next 18 months.
Governor Sununu criticized the Biden administration, claiming that the White House has consistently rejected the state's pleas for assistance. "We asked the federal government for help. Weve been denied," he said. "There's nothing thats come from the federal government. No additional efforts out of the federal government."
Data indicates a substantial increase in illegal encounters along the northern border, stretching from Washington state to Maine, in the most recent fiscal year. Through the end of July, there were 7,633 encounters, compared to 2,238 for the entirety of Fiscal year 2022. In contrast, there were only 916 encounters in all of 2021, according to the network.
Regarding the US-Southern border, over 2 million illegal crossings have been reported in the past year, with more than 6 million encounters since Joe Biden assumed the presidency in 2021.
Login