Upstate Rep. Alice Stefnik, the powerful GOP House conference chair, has vowed to summon the Department of Homeland Security for information on covert flights of migrants into New York state if Republicans regain control of Congress after midterm elections this fall. .
Stefnik told the Post in an exclusive, “We need to get all the data, all the information from the Department of Homeland Security, from any federal agency involved in this smuggling operation, paid for by taxpayers for this human trafficking operation. ” Interview.
The Post exclusively revealed last fall that charter flights originating in Texas were landing at Westchester County Airport — usually in the early hours of the morning — to help the federal government offset the crush of migrants at the US-Mexico border. to do.
Flights were briefly suspended after The Post’s initial revelations, but were resumed until last month.
“We have received little or no response from all of our outreach [Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Meyerkas,” Stefanik said. “It’s going to be in an oversight capacity. In a Republican majority, you can demand those records and present them. We intend to do that.”
After migrants disembark in Westchester, they are put on buses and dispersed across the tri-state area. A source told The Post in October that the final migrant destinations included locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, upstate Newburgh and Bridgeport and Danbury in Connecticut.
In April, a busload of teenagers tracked by The Post drove the length of the New Jersey Turnpike before dropping off its passengers at the Walt Whitman Service Area in Cherry Hill, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. After the teenagers disembarked, they took their bags back and left with the adults who were waiting for them.
Similar flights have been reported by officials in Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
In addition to the expatriate flights, Stefanik also wants to summon the administration of government Cathy Hochul for a record involving disgraced ex-government. Andrew Cuomo covers nursing home deaths from COVID-19 as a result of his pandemic policies.
“I want to go back to the very beginning,” she said, when the infamous “March 25 order” that required nursing homes to discharge “medically stable” COVID-19 patients from hospitals was implemented. Was.
Independent experts estimate that there were at least 1,000 more deaths in long-term care facilities thanks to the order. More than 15,000 residents died from the deadly virus – either inside long-term care facilities or after being transferred to hospitals because they were so sick, New York State Department of Health data shows.
“I want to know how much Kathy Hochul knew — because she knew for sure. She was a lieutenant governor, she had access to that data on a daily basis,” Stefnick alleged.
Hochul recently announced that his administration is hiring independent experts to review New York’s COVID-19 response, including an investigation into how state policies affected those in nursing homes .
Stefnick told The Post that she would also call the Biden administration for additional information about Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Their priority list also includes:
- Subpoenaing records linked to the horrific 2018 limo accident in Shohri County that claimed the lives of 20 New Yorkers
- Submission of documents relating to the firing of an Upstate Pre-K teacher due to his views on COVID-19 masking
- Protecting the rights of dairy farmers and the ability of students to choose what kind of milk they want to drink in schools – a tribute to her ongoing fight with NYC Mayor Eric Adams and her opposition to the city’s public schools having chocolate milk point to.
- Ensuring that “federal dollars only go to states that have pro-law enforcement, pro-security policies in place.”
- Legislation to help prevent drug overdoses and the illegal flow of fentanyl in the United States
Experts say the GOP favors winning back the House this November after four years in a minority, meaning Stefnik could assume the role of majority whip if the House Republican hierarchy remains the same.
But recent reports indicate that Stefnik may be in line for an even bigger role: former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, should he decide to run.
Stephanic is a well-known favorite of Trump, who is hosting his fourth fundraiser next month at his swanky Westchester golf course and has even invited him to his 2028 presidential run.
“People know I’m there to work for them and serving as a conference chair increases my efficiency,” she told The Post. “I mean, as you become a more senior member of Congress, you know how to make this process work.
“I always focus on delivering results.”
