Hochul: State budget deals includes $8M for security on northern border

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers agreed to earmark $8 million in the state budget for security along the U.S.-Canadian border, Hochul said in announcing a "general agreement" on a budget deal Monday night.

The funds will "increase safety," the Democrat said at a news conference, adding it will allow the state to provide "the dedicated law enforcement and technology to stop transnational criminal organizations and the trafficking of guns, drugs and people."

The funding, part of a $254 billion budget, is focused on the "land border" with Canada near Plattsburgh, Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, told Newsday. The funds will go toward additional state police, license plate readers and drones and will be "rolled out over the next year," she said.

While much of the national political conversation around border security and increased illegal crossings in recent years has focused on the U.S.-Mexico border, New York’s 445-mile northern border with Canada has become increasingly active. Last fall, Newsday interviewed residents along the northern border who said it was becoming an almost daily occurrence, especially during the summer months, to see immigrants who crossed illegally walking through fields, along roads and even on their properties.

Illegal immigration and the smuggling of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, are a major focus of President Donald Trump, who took office in January and has since imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico that he said are aimed at stopping the flow of illegal drugs. New York State and local officials along the border in April told Newsday they were hopeful Trump's actions would lead to increased resources at the U.S.-Canada border. 

In New York State, border encounters increased by more than 41%, from 81,000 in fiscal 2022 to nearly 115,000 in fiscal 2024, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. The federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and each encounter is not unique, so individuals may be counted more than once if they try to reenter.

Encounters in New York dropped from 7,571 in October to 1,927 in March, according to federal data, but it’s not immediately clear if that’s the result of federal policy changes, as experts have said illegal crossings typically decrease in the winter due to freezing temperatures and harsh terrain.

The allocation of the new state funding comes as Hochul’s administration spends the last of a one-time $5 million grant from the Biden administration to help boost security.

Hochul proposed the additional state funds in her budget in January.

State lawmakers are expected to vote on the budget bills this week. The budget, due at the start of the state's fiscal year on April 1, is nearly a month late. 

With Yancey Roy