Governor Kathy Hochul said she raised concerns about immigration enforcement in New York during a meeting with White House Border Czar Tom Homan.
Hochul spoke about the meeting during a briefing in Albany, where she outlined the issues she discussed with federal officials.
The governor said she told Homan that she supports secure borders and the deportation of people who commit violent crimes.
“I do not support open borders. We want to make sure that our borders are safe and secure,” Hochul said.
At the same time, Hochul said she supports a pathway to citizenship for certain immigrants who entered the country legally through programs such as asylum.
“I also believe in a pathway to citizenship and the opportunities for people who are already here … I want those individuals to be able to work,” she said, adding that work permits could help fill jobs in agriculture, hospitality and health care.
Hochul also raised concerns about immigration detention facilities in New York.
“We do not want to see any large scale detention centers or expansions of detention centers here in the State of New York,” she said.
The governor said those proposals have caused concern in several parts of the state, including Orange County, Suffolk County, Rochester and the North Country.
During the meeting, Hochul also discussed a recent incident in Buffalo involving a refugee who died after being left outside in freezing temperatures. She said she asked federal officials to help reunite the man’s family members from Myanmar with relatives in the United States.
Hochul said the meeting was intended to communicate the concerns of New Yorkers while maintaining her responsibility to keep residents safe.
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