Arizona’s Greg Stanton among Democrats asking Biden to take executive action at border

PHOENIX — Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton joined 14 other Democrats in urging President Joe Biden to take action to address the border crisis on Tuesday.

The letter sent by Stanton and 14 other legislators called on Biden to use all the tools at his disposal — including executive action — to secure the border.

“It is well past time for both parties to come together and agree on common sense, bipartisan immigration reforms,” the Tuesday letter said.

The 15 moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives also accused Republicans of prioritizing politics over solutions.

“It has become clear that the current situation remains untenable, but with Republicans playing politics on border security, it is time for your administration to act,” the letter said.

They added that the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is untenable, which requires urgent presidential intervention.

“We recognize that ultimately fixing our broken immigration system is complex and requires Congress to act, but while Republicans continue to refuse to come to the table and intentionally destroy bipartisan solutions, we still must act to protect our country,” the letter said.

Stanton one of 15 Democrats who urged President Joe Biden to fix border crisis

Stanton represents Arizona’s 4th Congressional district within Maricopa County, including portions of Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale and Tempe.

He has made several trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months. A recent trip on April 26 involved Republican Juan Ciscomani. They led a bipartisan two-day tour across the state, as well as northern Arizona.

Last month, I hosted Republican & Democratic lawmakers at the Arizona border with @BPC_Bipartisan & @RepCiscomani.

We’re focused on cutting through the noise in Washington to find real solutions to restore order at the border.

Watch 📺 pic.twitter.com/VI9G8kN9nq

— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) May 7, 2024

Stanton and fellow Democrats urged Biden to enhance border security, combat the influx of fentanyl and facilitate orderly legal immigration.

Who else asked Biden to take action on the border?

Aside from Stanton, these moderate House Democrats also asked Biden to use all the tools at his disposal to fix the border crisis:

• Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5)
• Val Hoyle (OR-4)
• Elissa Slotkin (MI-7)
• Kim Schrier (WA-8)
• Matt Cartwright (PA-8)
• Susan Wild (PA-7)
• Patrick Ryan (NY-18)
• Steven Horsford (NV-4)
• Susie Lee (NV-3)
• Chris Pappas (NH-1)
• Hillary J. Scholten (MI-3)
• Sharice L. Davids (KS-3)
• Mike Levin (CA-49)
• Angie Craig (MN-2)

“It is well past time for both parties to come together and agree on common-sense, bipartisan immigration reforms that both strengthen enforcement at the border and provide a path to citizenship for those who have been living, working and paying taxes in the United States for many years,” the letter said.

“All of our constituents, no matter our Congressional district, have felt the impacts of the current border situation. Communities across the country are grappling with the fentanyl crisis and struggling to find appropriate shelter and services for those seeking asylum.”