Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running for New York governor, cited two Long Island murders in rebuking New York's sanctuary state policies during a Monday appearance on Newsmax's "National Report."
Blakeman said the murders, allegedly committed by the same illegal migrant, underscore what he called the deadly consequences of years of failed immigration enforcement policies.
Authorities say the suspect, believed to be from El Salvador, entered the United States illegally as a 12-year-old in 2016, was later granted legal status, and is now accused of brutally killing his roommate before allegedly murdering his co-worker at Wendy's, who was a mother of three.
Blakeman said the violence could have been prevented.
"Absolutely," he said. "This individual should not have been in this country."
Blakeman pointed to decisions made at multiple levels of government that allowed the suspect to remain in the U.S.
"This individual … came into this country in 2016 under the Obama administration as a 12-year-old, went before an immigration judge, and that judge released this 12-year-old unsupervised here in America," he said.
Blakeman added that the suspect later obtained legal status despite entering illegally.
"In 2022, under Biden-Harris and their open border policies, this individual … got a green card. So, he was actually here legally," he said.
Those policies have created a dangerous "atmosphere," Blakeman said, "whereby we have so many people here, we don't know what their backgrounds are, we don't know what they're doing."
The "failed" policies of New York and the previous presidential administration have led to situations like the murders on Long Island, he said.
"As a result, we have two beautiful women who, at the very early stages of their life, have been killed by the defendant, allegedly. And this individual should never have been in America," Blakeman said.
Rejecting the idea that minors brought into the country illegally are harmless, he said the case "completely dispels that myth."
"It's not a dream; it's a nightmare," Blakeman said. "Think about it. Who lets a 12-year-old run loose unsupervised – we don't know where this individual came from – and then give him legal status in our country? It's absolutely bizarre."
He then turned his focus to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, accusing her of doubling down on sanctuary policies that attract illegal migrants.
"Shortly after I'm sworn in as governor, we will no longer be a sanctuary state," Blakeman said, outlining a central promise of his campaign.
He criticized the state's spending priorities, claiming billions have been allocated to migrants.
"Kathy Hochul has invested over $8 billion of our taxpayer dollars on people who have been here for 15 minutes," Blakeman said. "They haven't earned a thing. They get free housing, free transportation, free food, and a free cell phone. We don't even give that to New Yorkers."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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