New York Republican leaders in the state Legislature are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the state's National Guard to Texas and New York's northern border to assist in the flow of migrants coming into the U.S., according to a letter they sent Thursday.

"More than 8 million border encounters have occurred since President Biden took office. In 2023, over 2.5 million migrants entered the country through the southern border. In December alone, 302,034 encounters were reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On New York’s Northern Border, 91,640 illegal crossings were reported in the past year," the letter states, signed by state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay.

"Immigration reform is a matter that must be dealt with on the Federal level. However, we hope you agree that the states’ sovereign right to protect its citizens and its communities must be valued above the actions of federal authorities. For this reason, we urge you to deploy the National Guard immediately to assist the State of Texas and New York Canadian border in efforts to stop the flow of migrants coming into our country illegally."

The Army National Guard was sent to the southern border nearly 20 years ago to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in restoring order to the region after a migrant flow from Central America and Mexico, which Ortt notes he was a part of.

“Our constituents and colleagues are demanding action, leadership and results in response to the migrant crisis. An effective response is long overdue," Ortt and Barclay's letter reads. "We encourage you to use your authority to deploy the National Guard at the Texas and New York Canadian borders and help advance legislative measures that directly address concerns brought on by the migrant crisis. We must urge President Biden to finally secure America’s borders."

The letter comes as the state continues to grapple with the ongoing migrant situation. The GOP in recent weeks have harshly questioned Hochul's budget proposal to spend $2.4 billion to assist New York City with the migrant crisis, including $500 million from the state's reserves fund.

On Tuesday, Hochul lambasted the state GOP for not putting more pressure on their counterparts in Washington to back a congressional bipartisan deal on immigration and border restrictions, saying Republicans "don't really want to solve this — they like the chaos it's created."