As Arizona and other border states brace for the expected surge of undocumented migrants crossing the southern border, Senator Kyrsten Sinema was briefed by Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem. The situation at the border has been described for over a year as a crisis, but with the Biden administration planning to scrap a Trump administration public health policy restricting illegal immigration, the situation is expected to be untenable.
#USBP #YumaSector Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of 100 migrants yesterday after they illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico. Migrants from approximately 10 different countries were transported to the Yuma station for processing.#BorderSecurity is #NationalSecurity pic.twitter.com/pravCV9vRg
— Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem (@USBPChiefYUM) March 17, 2022
The Biden administration announced it will end Title 42 by May 23rd.
Title 42 has allowed border officials to immediately expel migrants who attempt to cross the border for public health reasons. The policy has prevented more than 1.7 million migrants from illegally entering the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Sinema, she offered her support once again for the men and women on the “ground securing the border and keeping Arizona communities safe.”
“I’m grateful for Chief Clem’s work in keeping Arizona communities safe, and I will continue working with him and all of our partners on the ground on identifying solutions to strengthen our border security and ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely,” said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee.
Sinema and Chief Clem discussed the resources needed to manage seasonal or irregular migrant flows this spring. Last week, Senator Mark Kelly finally weighed-in on the border crisis he has ignored and joined Sinema in urging the administration not to end Title 42 “without a firm, workable plan – warning that if the administration ends Title 42 without a comprehensive plan in place, they will put in risk the health and safety of migrants and Arizona communities.”
Sinema also thanked Chief Clem for participating in her virtual border roundtable in March between federal and non-governmental organizations to discuss solutions to challenges caused by the ongoing crisis at the border.
Sinema said in a press release that she “relies on the direct feedback from partners, like Chief Clem, on the ground about the situation at the border,” as Chair of the Senate’s Border Management Subcommittee.
In March, Sinema introduced the Border Patrol Pay Security Act – bipartisan legislation that ensures Border Patrol agents are treated fairly regarding overtime pay – bringing the Border Patrol pay system into line with other federal law enforcement agencies. The Border Patrol Pay Security Act will help address recruitment and retention challenges in the Border Patrol and improve border security.
In February, Sinema toured Southern Arizona and held a roundtable discussion with the Border Patrol Council in Yuma to hear directly from frontline agents working to protect Arizona communities and mitigate the ongoing border crisis.
Republican opposition to ending Title 42 has been nearly unanimous, leading some to ask why the U.S. Senate isn’t doing more to stop the Biden Administration from proceeding. “Manchin and Sinema claim to be for real border security, so why aren’t there 51 votes to fund the wall or take other steps to actually fix the problem?” asked one Republican who has been watching the border crisis for more than a decade. “Because it is mostly posturing, even from Senator Sinema, who has roundtables and conference calls, and issues press releases where she says she’s taking the problem seriously. But at the end of the day, Republicans like Romney and Murkowski, and Democrats like Sinema and Kelly, aren’t actually serious about solving the problem for good.”