9/11 memorial speaker warns Democrats: Don't 'forget history' by backing soft-on-crime, 'open border' policies

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9/11 family member delivers strong message to politicians on 21st anniversary of attack

A family member at the 9/11 memorial in New York City told politicians after the attack, no one cared about "gender, race, ethnicity," but "it took a tragedy to unite us."

A speaker at the annual 9/11 memorial is warning politicians not to "forget history" when it comes to "open border" and soft-on-crime policies, adding that Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin would offer a necessary "fresh" approach to tackling violence in the Empire State. 

Andrew Colabella, who lost a cousin in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and another cousin years later to a 9/11-related illness, spoke to Fox News Digital after delivering a chilling message at the podium on Sunday to "remind" politicians that Americans were "united" and "no one cared" 21 years ago about whether someone was a Republican, Democrat or about their race or gender.

"I think if you forget history, you are born to repeat it," Colabella told Fox News Digital during an interview. "My message was broadly to the politicians and anyone watching and anyone listening. When I said those words, it was nonpartisan. It did not point out a particular member, a particular party or a particular agenda. However, the people that are currently in power right now. You have a House and a Senate and executive Democrat-controlled —  it's a trifecta. They're going to take it on the chin." 

"It was not to offend," he added of his remarks. "If anything, it was to remind the 350 million Americans of this nation that we were once united. We were strong. Unfortunately, it took 2,977 people to die." 

9/11 FAMILY MEMBER ‘REMINDS’ POLITICIANS BEHIND ‘BORDER’ NO ONE CARED ABOUT ‘GENDER, RACE’: ‘WE WERE UNITED’

Andrew Colabella, right, helped read the names of the victims of the 9/11 terror attack during the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 11, 2022 in New York City.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Colabella, a representative town meeting councilman in Westport, Connecticut, discussed concerns about unchecked migrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

"We don't want this to happen again," Colabella said of the 9/11 attacks. "For the past year and a half, this executive administration [is] telling us that the border can stay open. Who's to say that they're not going to come into the United States by air, they're going to come into Mexico or a South American country and then enter the United States through our border. And then from there, they can do whatever they want. The last ten years, I've thought about that, and getting up on that podium is very overwhelming."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul attends a ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, US, on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.  (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The city councilman turned his criticism toward politicians like New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who backs the controversial bail reform law enacted under her predecessor Andrew Cuomo. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who endorsed fellow Democrat Hochul in the gubernatorial race, even has called on Albany to at least amend the bail reform legislation, given NYPD recidivism data showing a high proportion of repeat offenders repeatedly arrested and released back on the streets to commit further violence. 

"We're putting citizens at danger," Colabella said. "And the people that are paying for it are the hard-working citizens with these egregious, litigious laws that are being enacted." 

Alison Esposito and Lee Zeldin, Republicans running for lieutenant governor and  governor of New York respectively, attend the 9/11 Memorial 21st Anniversary Commemoration at WTC in New York City on September 11, 2022.

"To the politicians," he continued, "if you want to get serious about crime, then get serious about the policies. You see that crime has been skyrocketing over the last couple of years. It's all the policies involved that support the criminals that do not support the public, the normal working day citizen." 

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Contrary to Hochul, Rep. Lee Zeldin, a GOP congressman, is running on a platform for governor on addressing surging crime due to the fallout of the defund police movement.  

"It’s not about Republican. It's not about Democrat," Colabella said. "Put that aside and realize. Lee Zeldin just has that experience. He has a fresh view. He knows exactly what he wants to do."