New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said that his state was going to take responsibility for its own border security after what he calls lapses from the federal government. New Hampshire’s efforts follow a number of other states, including Texas and Florida to halt illegal immigration.
The governor said that the state would spend $1.4 million to increase patrols along the New Hampshire-Canadian border. The plan calls for such patrols to increase by 1,000%.
Sununu said that the situation along the country’s northern border was also important, and that “there have been more apprehensions along our northern border in just this past year than in the last ten years combined.”
The Federal Govt refuses to take action on our Northern Border. They cut funding, limited resources, and have thrown their hands up. Without adequate federal support, the state is stepping up. In meeting with law enforcement up north, it is clear we need more targeted resources. pic.twitter.com/mkaSwflqiv
— Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) October 19, 2023
“Encounters with individuals on the terrorist watch list at the ports of entry on the northern border have doubled since 2017,” he said. The governor added, “there’s national security implications to securing the northern border that are becoming more and more obvious every day.”
Sununu said that his state would “provide an all-hands-on-deck approach.”
This included the formation of the Northern Border Alliance Task Force to combine efforts between state, county and local law enforcement. The plan would have 10,000 hours of patrolling the 58-mile border over the next 18 months.
The governor pointed the blame for the deteriorating border situation at the Biden administration, saying that the state was “denied” assistance from Washington.
“There’s nothing that’s come from the federal government. No additional efforts out of the federal government,” he said.
Sununu’s efforts follow Operation Lone Star, launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to secure his state’s border with Mexico.
Texas reported in July that the mission led to almost 400,000 illegal immigrant detentions and more than 30,000 criminal arrests, including almost 30,000 felony charges.
The state has also bused more than 20,000 migrants to other locations, including self-declared ‘sanctuary’ locations such as Chicago and New York City.
Florida has also announced the sending of migrants to northern locations, including one flight to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
