As we welcome 2025, I always view the new year as a chance at new beginnings. If you have made New Year’s resolutions, it’s an opportunity to hit the restart button, and stick to whatever commitments you made for the new year.
We also turn the page on a new chapter for this country. As Donald J. Trump is sworn in for his second four-year term, I hope we can turn the focus to securing our borders, making our communities safe, and bringing down the cost of living. There is no question that, with inflation, many families have been struggling to make ends meet. We’ve also seen communities challenged with very real concerns about safety. Laws and borders exist for a reason. Laws need to be enforced, and borders protected. I believe in legal immigration. But what has happened at our borders these last few years is unsustainable, unmanageable and dangerous.
As a border county and state, we know the importance of knowing just who is allowed into this country. New York shares 445 miles of border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. There are 17 land border crossings along that stretch, with nearly 4 million personal vehicles and 900,000 trucks entering the United States from Canada on a given year. Those crossings have increasingly become a conduit for trafficking fentanyl and other drugs, as well as human trafficking, which poses a significant threat to public safety. As such we must empower our federal immigration officials to be able to conduct proper screenings and permit local law enforcement to work with their federal counterparts to ensure our citizens are protected. It is the most important function of government, and not allowing that puts our country at risk. I’m sponsoring a resolution encouraging New York State to increase cooperation with federal law enforcement for the purposes of border security.
We also said goodbye this month to a former President who left quite a legacy. Jimmy Carter was a true humanitarian. We are grateful for his service, not only as President, but perhaps especially his work toward world peace and his efforts with Habitat for Humanity in the decades that followed.
Bills fans enjoyed another tremendous season, with the Buffalo Bills having a perfect record at home. That undefeated record continued this past Sunday. I’m hoping we will all be cheering on a Bills victory against the Baltimore Ravens this coming weekend and send the Bills to the AFC Championship. Their success is especially worth noting since so many pundits doubted their chances at the start of this year. As work continues on the new stadium, I hope many new memories, victories and championships will be experienced there.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in 2025. If you have a county related issue, contact my office at 716-681-2071 or email at Frank.Todaro@erie.gov
