The race to fill the seat that Rep. George Santos left in disgrace turns largely on one issue, with huge implications for November.
NEW YORK—In a city where nearly 200,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in less than two years, the issue of border security, alongside increased crime, is looming large over the Feb. 13 special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
The two candidates vying for the U.S. House seat—held by Rep. George Santos until he was ejected—are Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who held the seat for six years prior to Mr. Santos, and Republican Mazi Pilip, a Republican member of Nassau County’s legislature.
The candidates hold divergent views on the illegal immigration issue and Ms. Pilip has accused Mr. Suozzi and fellow Democrats of helping to cause the crisis.
“Thanks to Biden and Suozzi’s open border policy, 200,000 migrants have arrived in New York,” Ms. Pilip said during a news conference on Feb. 7, when she received the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council.
“In fact, a migrant tent city was built right here in Queens Village to house 1,000 migrants,” she said.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the organization chose to endorse Ms. Pilip because Mr. Suozzi is in favor of sanctuary cities.
“He was for ensuring that New York police could not interact with federal agencies as it pertained to illegal immigrants in his district,” Mr. Judd told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Suozzi called the endorsement “illogical.”
“The only real solution to immigration requires a bipartisan effort that requires tougher border security with common sense reforms that stops illegal immigration and create a pathway for those who follow the rules,” he said in a January statement.
However, Mr. Suozzi bears the stigma of belonging to a party that many voters believe allowed the crisis to develop on its watch, observers say.
“Immigration and the economy will be foremost on voters’ minds in Tuesday’s special election,” John Ketcham, director of cities at the Manhattan Institute, a public policy research organization, told The Epoch Times.
Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com
