Sinema waiting on Biden camp to take ‘bold action’ at southern border
May 6, 2021, 11:00 AM
(Twitter Photo/@SenatorSinema)
(Twitter Photo/@SenatorSinema)
PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is waiting for action to be taken on promises she said the Biden administration made to alleviate challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sinema said Thursday that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas personally committed to her that he would work with Arizona border communities to address their concerns.
“What I’m waiting for is the administration to take bold action to actually address these concerns,” Sinema told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.
The Democrat said the state’s border communities have been paying the price for the federal government’s policies of handling of migrants at the border.
Sinema introduced the Senate version of the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act along with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn on April 22 that would create regional centers along the border to facilitate more efficient processing of asylum seekers.
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That legislation is a start, Sinema said, but more is needed from the Biden administration.
“The reality is, this is a crisis and the federal government must do more to address this surge of migrants who are coming to the border with increasing numbers each year,” Sinema said.
Sinema wants Biden to declare the southern border situation an emergency so the National Guard can provide logicial support to border authorities and not just county law enforcement in border areas.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey last Tuesday declared a state of emergency in six counties and said he would deploy the Arizona National Guard to provide support for local law enforcement agencies in border regions.
“To me, it’s not important whether the person in the White House is a Democrat or a Republican in terms of negotiating or talking with them,” Sinema said.
“What’s important is standing up for Arizona and the needs of our state and I’m going to use the same exact approach with the Biden administration that I did with the Trump administration, which is the same approach that I used with the Obama administration.”
