Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino secured endorsements from two local Border Patrol unions representing agents along the northern border in New York’s 21st Congressional District as the officials emphasized his commitment to strengthening border security and criticized his Democrat opponent Blake Gendebien’s record on immigration enforcement.

The endorsements came from National Border Patrol Council Local 2266 President Sean Walsh, representing the Swanton Sector, and Local 2724 President Brandon Budlong, representing the Buffalo Sector. Together, the two sectors cover the northern border across nine counties in NY-21.

Walsh’s Swanton Sector covers St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex, and Hamilton counties, while Budlong’s Buffalo Sector covers Jefferson, Lewis, Herkimer, and Oneida counties.

“NY-21 covers hundreds of miles of the northern border, and I have spent my career protecting it. I know the threats here are real and I know they are getting more sophisticated,” Walsh said.

“Anthony Constantino understands that border security is national security, and he has committed to fighting for the resources it takes to secure this northern border,” he continued. “Blake Gendebien would take his marching orders from the same Washington Democrats who gutted enforcement and opened the borders under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The North Country cannot afford that, and I am proud to endorse Anthony Constantino.”

Budlong stated, “As Local Union president along the Northern Border, I see firsthand what comes across it: drugs, human smuggling, and people who have no business being in this country.”

“Anthony Constantino will have our backs in Washington. Blake Gendebien would answer to the same Washington Democrats who let millions pour across our borders and treated the men and women guarding the border like the enemy. He even called local border patrol racists. I resoundingly offer my endorsement to Anthony Constantino,” he added.

Constantino welcomed the endorsements and pledged to provide Border Patrol agents with additional resources if elected to Congress.

“The Border Patrol agents in the North Country protect our communities every single day, stopping cartels, traffickers, and the fentanyl that has devastated Upstate families,” Constantino said. “In Congress, I’ll stand behind them with the manpower, technology, and support to keep doing that job. Nobody understands border security better than the agents who carry it out. They keep us safe every day, and I will never, ever let them down.”

As Breitbart News reported in September, Democrat Gendebien has repeatedly criticized federal immigration enforcement, saying in a 2013 interview that Border Patrol agents “will profile by skin color” and recounting how he paid $10,000 to bail out a detained farm worker because he needed help on his farm. More recently, Gendebien accused the Trump administration of misusing immigration enforcement as a “personal paramilitary force” and said he would fight against it. When asked whether he would stand with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to ensure illegal aliens have access to government healthcare programs, Gendebien said he did not know enough about the issue.

Breitbart News also reported in February 2025 on Gendebien’s remarks disparaging local workers, whom he described as “awful,” claiming they struggled with domestic abuse, alcohol problems, and wage garnishments. Gendebien said his Hispanic employees worked approximately 12 hours daily, six and a half days a week, and suggested that six local workers would be needed to replace three Hispanic workers. He also compared local children’s independence and abilities unfavorably with those of his Hispanic workers, said he hired a corrections officer for construction work because “they don’t have much self-worth,” and maintained that his workers were legally authorized to work “as far as I know,” but that he was “not obligated to check” or use E-Verify. New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox criticized Gendebien’s remarks and pointed to his political ties, including his support for former Democrat congressional candidate Tedra Cobb, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris.