After an exchange of attacks over abortion rights, Republican U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro is moving to shift the debate in the race for New York's 19th Congressional District, rolling out a new TV and digital advertisement Wednesday hitting Democratic challenger Josh Riley on immigration.

The ad, previewed for Spectrum News 1 ahead of its release, invokes the recent arrest of a reputed Peruvian gang leader in Endicott, saying, “DC Insider Josh Riley helped write Biden’s open border policies that let him in.”

“Republicans called for the immediate closure of our southern border to stop the historic flow of violent criminals,” the ad continues.

Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of “Los Killers,” entered the United States illegally at the Texas-Mexico border in May, according to the Associated Press.

The ad’s attack on Riley is seemingly a reference to his work as a Senate aide back in 2013 on bipartisan immigration legislation, which he has touted on the campaign trail. That legislation never became law.

Molinaro claims that the 2013 bill would have amounted to “mass amnesty” for millions. Riley’s team rejects this, saying the bill called for enhanced border security, including hiring additional border agents, in exchange for making the system “fair for those who pay taxes and follow the rules.”

Immigration is poised to be a central point of contention in New York’s several competitive congressional races this fall. Over the past year, the state has at times struggled to manage an influx of asylum seekers.

In May, Riley accused President Joe Biden of doing a “terrible job on the border.” He has also criticized Molinaro and House Republicans for not supporting a bipartisan Senate border bill rolled out this year, telling Spectrum News that Republicans “would rather exploit the problem for political gain than actually solve it.”

Molinaro argues that the Senate proposal was “insufficient” compared to a border bill passed by House Republicans.

Molinaro and Riley are squaring off again in a bid for the New York district, which stretches from Ithaca to Rensselaer and Columbia counties.