CONCORD, N.H. - The ACLU of New Hampshire today questioned why taxpayer dollars were and are still allocated for the northern border after data on encounters by both Border Patrol and the state’s Northern Border Alliance Task Force from January to May 2024 showed zero encounters.
“Instead of spending time and money on critical issues in the North Country like housing, substance use treatment, and mental health resources, legislators in Concord keep investing limited time and taxpayer dollars into a truly nonexistent border issue. Unlawful border crossings are incredibly rare occurrences in our state – and the data has shown that repeatedly for more than a year and a half,” said Amanda Azad, policy director at the ACLU of New Hampshire. “We continue to advocate that these funds, which stand at $1.4 million, be reallocated to things that actually help Granite Staters and that the state stop the unnecessary and harmful expansion of using local law enforcement for immigration purposes.”
New data unveiled today by the ACLU of New Hampshire shows zero encounters occurred from January to May 2024 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
This data all follows a similar pattern to the 21 apprehensions by Border Patrol that occurred from the previous 15 months, from October 2022 through December 2023. That data was released earlier this year as the result of a settlement in the ACLU of New Hampshire’s lawsuit seeking the information.