'This is about saving our country': GOP congressional candidate Mazi Pilip slams Democrats over border security on 'Fox & Friends'

Mazi Pilip and Tom Suozzi will fight it off in an election scheduled for February 13 in a bid to replace the expelled NY congressman George Santos
Mazi Pilip talked to 'Fox & Friends' host Steve Doocy about the need to strengthen border security (Fox News)
Mazi Pilip talked to 'Fox & Friends' host Steve Doocy about the need to strengthen border security (Fox News)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District in New York, Mazi Pilip, joined Steve Doocy to make her case around border security on the February 9 episode of 'Fox & Friends'.

Seeking to replace the disgraced former congressman George Santos, the Ethiopian-Israeli immigrant is going up against former Democratic Rep Tom Suozzi in a closely watched special election scheduled for February 13.

The opponents met for their only debate ahead of the election in Long Island on February 8, with immigration and abortion being among the main topics, according to Fox News.

Upon being asked by a voter about her plans for the migrant crisis, Pilip replied, "Before we even address the issue inside, we have to make sure first and foremost we need to secure the border. After that, then we have to come up with a plan. We have to know who's here. We don't even know who all those people are."


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mazi Melesa Pilip 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@maziforny)


 

Mazi Pilip talks about legal immigration

A former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, Pilip told Doocy, "I am all about bringing people here to give them the opportunity to live the American dream. It has to be done correctly, the way I did it. My husband, who came from Ukraine, came here legally. What they are doing, is so irresponsible in many ways."

If voted into the House, she pledged to support the impeachment of DHS Sec Alejandro Mayorkas, who could not be impeached for the first time as the supporting votes fell short by a few.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mazi Melesa Pilip 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@maziforny)


 

Taking on her opponent and his party, Pillip exclaimed, "(Suozzi) failed to protect the American people. He should not be there. And this is why this election is so important. We have to have a strong majority to start to do the right things. Right now, they don't have it."

She asserted, "This is about saving our country. This is about stopping the nonsense of the Left Democratic Party (that's) putting the American people at risk."

Tom Suozzi responds to Mazi Pilip's claims regarding the border security bill

During their debate, Suozzi fired back at Pilip, saying that she was not offering any solutions to the border crisis, for which she seemed deeply concerned.

He also took on the GOP, stating that its members opposed a Senate bill to bolster border security and provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Suozzi expressed, "(Pilip) has no solutions. There's a solution that's been proposed in the United States Senate that would actually build more wall, would get more border agents, would deal with asylum seekers, would reform the laws to make it better, and would give money to the state of New York and the city of New York to deal with the migrant crisis that we currently have."

A poll conducted by Siena College for Newsday showed Suozzi leading Pilip 48% to 44% among likely voters, as per FOX.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Senator Rick Scott, who signed a letter calling for Tuesday’s leadership vote to be postponed, said Republicans should first decide what they want to achieve before choosing their leader
2026-11-10T17:09:57.000Z
Thomas Massie introduced a privileged resolution under House rules, requiring the House to take it up within two legislative days if it is recognized as privileged
2026-11-10T15:38:44.000Z
General Counsel Tim Teter's outreach to federal investigators triggered internal concerns before the Justice Department took over the Megaspeed case
2026-11-10T07:07:01.000Z
Reporter Reese Gorman reported that Haley Stevens stayed in the Republican cloakroom during House votes while reporters found her office locked
2026-11-10T06:20:25.000Z
The former Trump aide pushed back against a New York Post report citing advisers who claimed she was trying to impress the president
2026-11-10T05:26:59.000Z
Jensen Huang opposed China chip curbs in a 2025 meeting with Donald Trump, after which Nvidia pledged $500 billion to US manufacturing and donated $20 million to Trump's ballroom fund
2026-11-10T04:40:28.000Z
Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed Donald Trump's team for misleading him about Republican losses and argued that millions of GOP voters stayed home
2026-11-10T03:49:15.000Z
Donald Trump credited Hegseth with military victories in Iran and Venezuela as Thomas Massie filed eight articles seeking his removal
2026-11-10T03:39:31.000Z
Despite Donald Trump defending Jensen Huang, Republican lawmakers have summoned him for a November 18 congressional briefing over his reported ties to Alice Huang
2026-11-10T02:17:03.000Z
Thomas Massie accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of abusing his power and carrying out unlawful orders to wage war against a foreign nation
2026-11-09T22:15:16.000Z