GOP-led county neighboring NYC to deputize private citizens; Dems blast 'militia initiative'

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's plan to deputize citizens for emergencies has stoked Democrats' ire, but he calls it a necessary preparedness measure.

I don't think you can depend on Albany or Washington, D.C., because they're more interested in giving away billions of dollars to migrants who are unvetted and bringing them to our communities than they are in protecting our communities. So, that's part of the thought process in my mind. … We need a group of citizens who are already trained, who already had experience in police departments and in the military and have them on reserve in the event that there would be a serious emergency. Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports

Lawmakers opposing the plan are calling it a "militia," drawing comparisons to Nazi "brownshirts" and held a rally outside the executive's office calling on him to halt the proposal.

"I think it's completely disgraceful, first of all as a Jewish elected official, to insinuate that I would be associated with anything that represented the Nazi regime, especially stormtroopers," Blakeman told Fox News Digital. "It is absolutely reprehensible."