Sen. Harding Statement on “secure the border now” Pledge

Sen. Republican Leader Stephen Harding issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s pledge today to “secure the border now.”

“My first reaction is: Why did he wait so long to make this pledge? Connecticut is not immune from the escalating effects of illegal immigration. The governor’s State Emergency Manager has stated publicly that his team has been trying ‘to coordinate this chaos as best we can.’ Many people have no idea that Connecticut Democrats passed a 2019 state law prohibiting cities and towns from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. No Republicans voted for that, because it makes no sense and it endangers public safety. That state law should be repealed. This year, Democrats continued to pursue legislation to encourage more illegal immigration in Connecticut, including design changes to the state’s drive-only licenses. That bill, which did not pass because of Republican resistance, would have made the drive-only licenses indistinguishable from a standard driver’s license. What benefit could come of this change? Expect Democrats to re-introduce that bill next year.”