Nearby county installing security tech along NYC border after Mamdani win
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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican whose county neighbors New York City, said he was ordering officials to install security cameras and technology along the border with the city in light of the election of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Blakeman, who was just re-elected earlier this month to serve a second term in the majority-blue county, said he would take extra precautions to preserve law and order in Nassau County in light of socialist mayor-elect Mamdani.
“We are doing everything necessary to keep Nassau County safe,” he said. “We’re installing technology along the New York City border that will read license plates, that will have facial recognition, that will have video cameras.”
He also said the county is recruiting new police officers in addition to its existing force and the 100 police cadets currently enrolled in the Nassau County Police Academy.
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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (left) and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images; Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Our police officers are doing an excellent job, and I will continue to provide them with the personnel, resources, technology, equipment and training that will now allow them to combat any situation that could compromise the safety and security of our communities here in Nassau County,” he said.
Meanwhile, Blakeman said Mamdani “talks like he’s pro-criminal and not pro-victim.”
While Republicans in Virginia, New Jersey and New York suffered election defeats earlier this month, Blakeman won his race by nearly 12 percentage points. He beat a Democrat in a county with more than 100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.
He attributes the victory to building on his messages about improving public safety and affordability, which he says resonate with all demographics. He didn’t even hesitate to condemn New York’s sanctuary policy and the county’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was re-elected by a decisive margin, although the county has more registered Democrats than Republicans. (Office of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman)
“New York State was a safe zone, and I think that’s basically what people want,” he said.
“I never ran away from my pro-Trump politics. I supported the president, and I continue to support the president. People respected me for that, even if they didn’t agree, because they knew I wasn’t a fraud. And yet, at the same time, what I was doing on parallel tracks was reaching out to communities…and letting them know that I’m a county executive for everyone, so I’m going to continue to make their neighborhoods safer. I’m going to reduce taxes.”
“Our campaign appealed to independent voters and crossover Democrats,” he said. “That’s why I think we were a shining star on an otherwise dark night on election night.”
This law-and-order message stands in stark contrast to Mamdani’s comments calling police racist, anti-queer and a threat to public safety. Although Mamdani walked back these statements during his campaign, his proposal to replace law enforcement officers with mental health workers sparked concerns about further worsening crime in New York.
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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signs an executive order showing the county’s support for federal, state and local law enforcement officials in allowing masks for specific investigations in Nassau County on July 11, 2025, in Mineola, New York. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
As New York leans left, Blakeman said his approach runs counter to the momentum around Mamdani’s socialist policy proposals.
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“Right now, I view his values as un-American,” he said. “So I have a lot of problems with Mamdani.”
“We built the greatest economic city in the world, the financial capital of the world being in New York. His policies are probably going to destroy that,” he continued, adding that if people leave New York, “they are welcome in Nassau County, where it’s safe and affordable.”
