By: Fern Sidman

In a bold response to what they describe as a mounting national security crisis fueled by lax border policies, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Nick Langworthy (R-NY) introduced the Safeguarding America from Extremists Risks (SAFER) at the Border Act on Tuesday. The legislation, aimed at reforming federal immigration parole procedures and bolstering domestic security, marks one of the most forceful legislative efforts to date by House Republicans to confront what they call the “reckless abuse” of immigration authority under the Biden administration.

Unveiled at a press conference on Capitol Hill, the SAFER Act directly targets immigration parole loopholes that, according to its sponsors, have enabled terrorists, transnational criminals, and other high-risk foreign nationals to enter the United States and infiltrate American communities.

Chairwoman Stefanik, whose upstate New York district borders Canada’s Swanton Sector—an increasingly active corridor for illegal crossings—did not mince words in placing blame squarely on New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

“The Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul embraced and fully supported Joe Biden’s catastrophic open border policies,” Stefanik declared in a statement. “She has put all New Yorkers at risk by prioritizing illegals first and New Yorkers LAST with her sanctuary state policies.”

Referring to the SAFER Act as a “corrective” to these policies, Stefanik emphasized the need to reassert control over immigration enforcement and national security decision-making.

“We must put law-abiding New Yorkers first and secure our borders,” she added. “This bill will close loopholes that have been shamelessly exploited by Hochul and Biden, putting an end to this administration’s reckless parole practices.”

Congressman Langworthy echoed those sentiments, noting a growing sense of unease among his constituents in Western New York.

“My constituents are fed up with the flood of murderers, terrorists, and dangerous individuals that poured into our communities across New York State—all because of the reckless, failed open-border policies of the former Biden administration,” Langworthy said. “A nation without secure borders is a nation in decline.”

The SAFER at the Border Act introduces a suite of new restrictions designed to narrow the use of immigration parole, which allows foreign nationals to enter the United States on a case-by-case basis even if they would otherwise be inadmissible under immigration law. The legislation includes three primary provisions:

Bar Parole for High-Risk Aliens: The Act would explicitly prohibit immigration parole for individuals flagged in terrorism databases, those affiliated with transnational criminal organizations, or otherwise deemed national security risks. This would effectively prevent the executive branch from granting entry to individuals with known violent or extremist ties, regardless of the perceived humanitarian rationale.

End Refugee Parole Loopholes: It also seeks to end parole as an alternative path to refugee admission by requiring that any individuals seeking protection be processed exclusively through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which includes more rigorous vetting protocols and Congressional oversight.

Target Espionage and Foreign Threat Networks: The bill would create statutory prohibitions on the parole of individuals with links to espionage or foreign intelligence activity, closing what lawmakers describe as “gaping holes” in national security vetting.

While the legislation is national in scope, its political and practical relevance is keenly felt in New York, particularly in Stefanik’s 21st Congressional District, which includes the Swanton Sector. That sector, which borders Quebec and Vermont, has seen a dramatic uptick in illegal crossings in recent years—a trend that Republican lawmakers say has gone largely unacknowledged by the White House.

One of the most alarming recent incidents cited by SAFER Act sponsors involves Basel Bassel Ebbadi, an individual who illegally crossed into the U.S. from Canada in March 2024. Ebbadi, who admitted to receiving Hezbollah training and expressed an intent to build a bomb, is currently detained and facing deportation. According to internal DHS documentation reviewed by Stefanik’s office, Ebbadi’s entry was not flagged in real time due to bureaucratic breakdowns and weaknesses in the parole framework.

“This is not theoretical,” Stefanik emphasized. “We are talking about a Hezbollah-trained individual with plans to commit acts of violence—who managed to cross our border without immediate detection. This is exactly the type of threat the SAFER Act is designed to prevent.”

The SAFER Act signals a sharp rightward shift in GOP immigration strategy, moving beyond criticisms of so-called “catch and release” to aggressively target executive discretion in parole cases. While the Biden administration has expanded parole authority as a humanitarian tool to process asylum seekers—particularly in the context of mass displacement from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti—Republican lawmakers contend that this policy bypasses congressional intent and creates systemic vulnerabilities.

Whether the bill will gain traction in the Senate remains uncertain, but Republican leadership is expected to advance it in the House as part of a broader package on border security and immigration reform. With 2024 general election campaigns underway, the SAFER Act also serves as a centerpiece of Republican messaging against both Biden and Hochul, casting them as out of touch with public safety concerns.

Political strategists note that immigration has become a top-tier issue for swing-state and suburban voters, particularly as highly publicized crimes by illegal immigrants make headlines.

With the introduction of the SAFER at the Border Act, Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Nick Langworthy have not only drawn a sharp ideological line but initiated what may be one of the most consequential legislative showdowns of the year on immigration policy. As the debate unfolds, the bill will serve as both a legal blueprint for border enforcement reform and a political cudgel aimed squarely at the Biden administration and its Democratic allies.

As Stefanik declared on Tuesday, “This is not about politics. It’s about protecting Americans from those who should never have been allowed into this country in the first place. It’s about safeguarding our cities, our borders, and our future.”