(NewsNation) — New York City Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola blasted President Joe Biden’s announced executive actions aimed at limiting illegal border crossings, saying they are “definitely not moving in the right direction” and “not tough enough.”
Ariola, who has been outspoken on border issues, said Tuesday on “NewsNation Now” that New York City has 201,000 immigrants who recently arrived, including 65,600 in the city’s care. She said they are “causing havoc” and “creating crime,” though she did not provide specifics.
“If you’re just letting in 2500 asylum-seekers per day and then holding back whoever’s at the border gate, that’s really just encouraging people to wait like they do in line at Disney World,” the councilwoman said.
The order will go into effect when the number of border encounters between ports of entry hits 2,500 per day, according to senior administration officials.
That means Biden’s order should go into effect immediately because the daily averages are higher now.
Average daily arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico were below 2,500 in January 2021, the month Biden took office. The last time the border encounters dipped to 1,500 a day was in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ariola said the president needs to implement stronger border policies that satisfy members of Congress and their constituents, saying his plan failed twice before in Congress.
She also raised concerns about a lack of vetting, saying, “We don’t know what their criminal backgrounds are in their country of origin. That’s a problem.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., defended Biden’s actions, accusing Republicans of playing “a cynical act of harming the country for their own political game” by not supporting previous bipartisan immigration bills.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.