As the Republican primaries take center stage in the Granite State during the week of Jan. 21, there are increased calls for a border wall along the U.S.-Canada frontier. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley became the latest to sound the alarm about increased incursions at the northern border.
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“I think we do whatever it takes to keep people out,” Haley said when speaking to reporters Saturday, Jan. 20.
When asked by the New York Times if that would mean building a wall, Haley said, “If that’s what it takes to keep them out, we will do a wall, we will do any sort of border patrol that we need.”
Haley isn’t the only Republican setting her sights north.
Before dropping out of the primaries on Sunday, Jan. 21, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, recently supported building a barrier along “trouble spots” in the U.S.-Canada border.
Also, Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur who ended his bid for the GOP nomination last week, has called for a northern border wall for months. At the third Republican primary debate on Nov. 8, 2023, Ramaswamy made his stance clear.
“I’m the only candidate on this stage, as far as I’m aware who has actually visited the northern border,” Ramaswamy said. “There was enough fentanyl that was captured just on the northern border last year to kill 3 million Americans. So, we’ve got to just skate to where the puck is going, not just where the puck is.”
Don’t just build the wall, build both walls.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is largely steering clear of the northern border debate. However, Trump remains a major advocate for enhanced barriers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
As for Democrats and the Biden administration, they have railed against border walls. However, despite the administration’s opposition, back in October, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would be constructing 20 miles of border wall in Starr County, Texas.
According to the Washington Post, the White House contended its hand was forced, asking Congress to reappropriate Trump-era funds but saying lawmakers refused, forcing the Biden administration into construction.
When asked if President Joe Biden believed border walls work, the president routinely denies it. However, the president’s words appeared to be at odds with what the DHS said.
The agency said in a statement that the construction was desperately needed to “prevent unlawful entries into the United States.”
While the crisis at the southern border captured much of the nation’s attention in the month of October, during that same time-frame, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella warned of a surge in illegal activity at the northern border.
The New York Times reported that more than 6,900 people tried to cross the northern border from 2022 to 2023, an increase of more than 1,000 migrants from years past, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Advocates criticized the attorney general and Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H., as they called for an increased law enforcement presence at the northern border. Critics claimed the officials did not have the data to justify the move. However, while Formella acknowledged the federal government only releases numbers for the entire three-state region, he defended his stance, as reported by WMUR.
“It’s only common sense if crossings are up that much across the sector that New Hampshire’s portion of the border, that’s 25% of the border, would also have seen an increase in crossings,” Formella said.
In October 2023, Sununu announced a new initiative stretching from 2024 into 2025 that will add 10,000 patrol hours to officers at the northern border. The patrols will be made up of state and local law enforcement. These operations will be in addition to the 600-700 hours the feds currently conduct.
Gov. Sununu has yet to propose a wall, but Republican voters in the small town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire, have noticed the rhetoric from Haley, DeSantis and Ramaswamy. Residents told the New York Times that the prospect of a wall leaves them torn.
Many in the town of Pittsburg have family right on the other side of the border, and people from Canada also come into town to work. However, some residents did admit that they have seen what appears to be migrants walking or wading across the northern line.
Officials argue that those crossing the northern border is a matter of national security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed last year that the majority of crossings of people from the terrorist watchlist were at the northern border.
Tags: 2024 Elections, Border crossings, Border patrol, border wall, Canada, Democrats, Department of Homeland Security, Donald Trump, Election, Joe Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre, Mexico, New Hampshire, Nikki Haley, Republican Primary, Ron DeSantis, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.-Mexico Border, Vivek Ramaswamy
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
PRIMARY SEASON RAMPS UP THIS WEEK — AS REPUBLICANS TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.
WITH THE CAMPAIGNS COMES INCREASED ATTENTION TO THE NORTHERN BORDER.
OVER THE WEEKEND, G-O-P CHALLENGER, NIKKI HALEY, BECAME THE LATEST TO SOUND THE ALARM ABOUT INCREASED INCURSIONS, SAYING:
“I THINK WE DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT.”
ASKED BY REPORTERS IF HER WORDS MEANT SHE SUPPORTED BUILDING A WALL AT THE CANADIAN BORDER –
HALEY RESPONDED:
“IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP THEM OUT — WE WILL DO A WALL — WE WILL DO ANY SORT OF BORDER PATROL THAT WE NEED.
HALEY ISN’T THE ONLY ONE WHO’S TURNED HER SIGHTS NORTH.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS — BEFORE DROPPING OUT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SUNDAY — RECENTLY SUPPORTED BUILDING A BARRIER ALONG “TROUBLE SPOTS.”
VIVEK RAMASWAMY, WHO ENDED HIS BID FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION LAST WEEK — HAS BEEN CALLING FOR MORE SECURITY BASED ON THE FLOW OF FENTANYL AND OTHER ILLICIT DRUGS — FROM THE NORTH FOR MONTHS. HE EVEN ADDRESSED IT IN A NOVEMBER PRIMARY DEBATE HOSTED BY N-B-C.
[VIVEK RAMASWAMY]
“Don’t just build the wall, build both walls. Can’t just complete the wall. Use the military to seal the Swiss cheese for the tunnels they’re actually building underneath that wall.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
MEANWHILE THE GOP FRONTRUNNER HAS NOT SAID MUCH ABOUT HOW HE WOULD HANDLE THE NORTHERN BORDER — BUT TRUMP REMAINS A MAJOR ADVOCATE FOR ENHANCED BARRIERS AT THE U-S-MEXICO BORDER.
WHILE DEMOCRATS AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAVE RAILED AGAINST BORDER WALLS, WE LEARNED IN OCTOBER THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WAS PLANNING TO CONSTRUCT 20 MILES OF BORDER WALL IN STARR COUNTY, TEXAS.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAID AT THE TIME THEIR HAND WAS FORCED, ASKING CONGRESS TO RE-APPROPRIATE TRUMP ERA FUNDS.
WHEN LAWMAKERS REFUSED, THE WHITE HOUSE SAID THAT FORCED THEM INTO CONSTRUCTION, AS REPORTED BY FORBES.
[KARINE JEAN-PIERRE]
“This is something we were required to by law. And this is an administration that does believe in the rule of law.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
WHEN ASKED IF HE BELIEVES BORDER WALLS WORK, THE PRESIDENT HAS ROUTINELY SAID, “NO.”
THAT SAME MONTH, AS THE U-S WATCHED THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS GROW – THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ATTORNEY GENERAL WARNED OF A SURGE IN ILLEGAL BORDER ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH.
U-S CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL SAID MORE THAN 69-HUNDRED PEOPLE TRIED TO CROSS THE BORDER IN THE AREAS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT AND NEW YORK FROM 2022 INTO 2023… AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND MIGRANTS.
IN RESPONSE TO THE SURGE, THE GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ORDERED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO MOVE MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES TO THE BORDER.
CRITICS SAID THE A-G DIDN’T HAVE SPECIFIC STATE DATA TO JUSTIFY THE MOVE.
WHILE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DID ACKNOWLEDGE — THE FEDS ONLY RELEASE NUMBERS FOR THE THREE-STATE REGION, HE SAID IT’S JUST A MATTER OF “COMMON SENSE” TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT IN THE GRANITE STATE, TELLING NEWS STATION W-M-U-R…
[JOHN FORMELLA]
“It’s only common sense if crossings are up that much across the sector that New Hampshire’s portion of the border, that’s 25 percent would also have seen an increase in crossings.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
IN OCTOBER GOVERNOR SUNUNU LAUNCHED A NEW INITIATIVE TO ADD 10-THOUSAND PATROL HOURS TO THE STATE’S NORTHERN BORDER OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF. THE PATROLS WILL BE MADE UP OF STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT IS IN ADDITION TO THE 600 TO 700 PATROL HOURS THE FEDS CURRENTLY CONDUCT.
AND OFFICIALS ARGUE IT’S A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
U-S CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION REVEALED LAST YEAR — THAT THE MAJORITY OF CROSSINGS OF PEOPLE FROM THE TERRORIST WATCHLIST WERE AT THE NORTHERN BORDER.
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