Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is planning to take a group of bipartisan senators on a trip to the southern U.S. border so that they can see for themselves the crisis that’s happening.
“That’s why when we come back to Congress in January, one of the first things I will do, with Senator Tillis, is convene a bipartisan group of senators who are willing and committed to get something done.
“We are going bring them to the border. We are going to see what Arizonans see every single day, because a crisis this big should not and cannot be ignored.”
“The combination of an unsecure border, an overworked and under-resourced Border Patrol and protection force, and never-before-seen levels of illegal immigration, asylum seekers, and coordinated smuggling efforts have completely ruined an already broken system,” Sinema said.
Title 42
Sinema warned that once Title 42 expires, the border crisis would worsen, paving the way for “thousands of migrants to enter Arizona, Texas, and other border states without the proper procedures, plans, or infrastructures in place.”“Let me be clear: This is a humanitarian and security nightmare,” she said.
Title 42 was invoked in March 2020 as an order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, as illegal aliens could be quickly turned away at the southern border, rather than processed at immigration detention facilities under Title 8 immigration law.
“More than 300,000 apprehensions have been made by Yuma Sector agents in fiscal year 2022,” the declaration reads. “The number of asylum seekers and migrants is expected to increase by 40% or more once Title 42 expires.
“The emergency declaration will allow for additional flexibility and resources to address the evolving issue.”
“The safety and health of my community remain my main priority,” Riedel stated. “With limited resources, our residents need to be cared for first.”
Crisis
“In Arizona, the impact is clear. Small towns along our border like San Luis, Nogales, Naco, Yuma, and Ajo are overwhelmed daily, struggling to care for their own residents while managing an increasing influx of hundreds of migrants every day,” Sinema said.The Arizona senator pointed to San Luis, noting how the city’s health service is overstretched.
“In San Luis—a small community of roughly 37,000 right on the Arizona–Mexico border—the fire chief recently told us that three of his five ambulances are used solely to care for migrants in need, leaving only two ambulances for the entire local community on any given night.”
The influx of fentanyl has also been a big concern, the senator noted, pointing to a recent seizure of 1.5 million fentanyl pills at the Nogales port of entry.
“I absolutely think the president should visit the border. In fact, I think anyone who is responsible for setting or making policy on the border should visit the border,” she said. “I mean, that’s ... a no-brainer, right?”
