Bruce is gonna build a “wall.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is planning to install high-tech surveillance along Long Island’s border with New York City when Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani takes office.
Blakeman — a Republican eyeing a run for the gubernatorial nomination in 2026 — told Fox News in a recent interview that he’s directing police and county workers to line Nassau’s border with Queens with cameras, plate readers and facial recognition tech.
“We are doing everything necessary to make sure that Nassau County is safe,” Blakeman told the outlet, calling Mamdani’s policies “pro-criminal” and “anti-American.”
The county executive’s office hasn’t disclosed a price tag for the bolstered border security but said he’d fund the price tag for the gadgets through asset forfeitures.
Blakeman, a friend of President Trump who won re-election as executive earlier this month, has run on pro-law and order policies and entered into an agreement to coordinate with federal immigration officials — in stark contrast to the sanctuary policies of other municipalities in the Empire State.
Blakeman previously announced he will hire more cops and boost the county’s existing and controversial collaboration with ICE as a reaction to the election victory of Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has made past statements critical of the police.
“Our cops are doing a great job, and I’m going to continue to give them the personnel and the resources, technology and equipment and training that will now allow them to combat any situation that would jeopardize the security and safety of our communities here in Nassau County,” Blakeman told Fox.
Last month, Blakeman and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder discussed preparing for the incoming Mamdani administration, and noted that he was unsure how much intel the Nassau police department would continue to share with the NYPD.
“We have information that’s very sensitive,” he said on Oct. 29. “I’m not sure that we want to share it with them, or if they’ll share it with us.”
Those statements came before tough-on-crime NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch agreed to stay on after Mamdani took office.
A spokesman for Blakeman referred The Post to the Fox interview and declined further comment on the surveillance wall.
Nassau County Democrats, however, blasted Blakeman and accused him of wasting taxpayer money in a bid to get the president’s attention.
Trump’s ally, Rep. Elise Stefanik, remains the front-runner for the GOP nomination to run against Gov. Kathy Hochul over Blakeman.
“Instead of governing, Blakeman is trying to turn Nassau County into a backdrop for his political ambitions with a stunt to get Donald Trump’s attention — opposed to focusing on true public safety he’s spending taxpayer dollars on high-tech theatrics rather than fixing our roads, investing in public services, or addressing the affordability crisis facing families across this county,” state and Nassau County Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs told The Post.
Jacobs also referred to Mamdani’s visit to the White House, where he and Trump had a surprisingly chummy hangout.
“And the question remains: when Donald Trump visits Nassau with his BFF, Mayor Mamdani, will Bruce let them in?” Jacobs added.
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