Embattled Long Island Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito claimed Tuesday that Democratic challenger Laura Gillen is part of the Harris-Biden team that “broke” the border over the past three-and-half years.
D’Esposito — joined by former Congressman Lee Zeldin, state Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and New Hyde Park Mayor Chris Devane during an event in the village near the Queens border — said Gillen has changed her tune from her soft border platform in the last race between the rivals two years ago — which he narrowly won.
“Just two years ago, my opponent stood on a debate stage, and when I was talking about the migrant issue and the fact that every city would be a border city, every county a border county and every state a border state, she told me and the American people that we were fearmongers,” D’Esposito said.
“Well now fast-forward two years later, and all of a sudden, Democrats are saying that they want some sort of new beginning. They want to secure the border. Well, we’re here to remind everyone that they are the ones who broke the border,” added the pol, who said he’s part of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s team that will bolster border security.
He said Gillen ran “shotgun” with “border czar” Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden for the past three and half years during “every disastrous policy that he put into place and every executive order that he rescinded from the Trump administration that actually secured our border.”
D’Esposito cited federal statistics showing that more than 400,000 individuals who have come into the United States illegally are convicted criminals,13,099 of them convicted of murder in their country of origin, and more than 200,000 were convicted of sexual assault in their country of origin.
“Because of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, all supported by Laura Gillen, they are free to roam the streets of the United States of America,” he said.
Zeldin said Democrats can’t run from their bad record on border security.
“The last administration proved that they had the power to close the border. The current administration proved that they had the power to open the border. And every time that you hear Kamala Harris now talking about any so-called idea to do anything in the future, all of us are wondering, if it’s such a good idea, why aren’t you doing it right now?” Zeldin said.
Instead, Harris-Biden stopped the “remain in Mexico” policy pending asylum hearings, stopped construction of the border wall and got rid of Title 42 during the COVID-19 pandemic that made it easier to expel border crossers, added Zeldin, who was the 2022 Republican nominee for governor.
Gillen, in a statement to The Post, suggested D’Esposito is blowing smoke.
“Anthony D’Esposito has had a seat at the table in Congress for nearly two years and he has abjectly failed to secure our border. Then he applauded [Texas] Gov Abbott for sending 40,000 migrants to NY. He spent his time complaining about the problem but delivering no results to fix it or to get New York taxpayers reimbursed for the costs we’ve had to incur,” Gillen said.
“In contrast, on day one in Congress, I will work across the aisle to pursue a bipartisan, long-lasting solution to secure our border, stop the flow of fentanyl and end the migrant crisis. The American people deserve that,” she added.
Public polling has shown a tight race or Gillen ahead by as much as 12 points in House District 4, which runs from Long Island’s South Shore through central Nassau County.
