Sinema and colleagues see security and humanitarian crisis at border
KYMA
By Dillon Fuhrman
El PASO, Tex. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Texas Senator John Cornyn led a bipartisan delegation in El Paso, Texas. This occurred on Monday, January 9.
According to a press release, this was to gain a firsthand understanding of the challenges at the Southwest border.
Sinema, Cornyn and their colleagues also witnessed what Americans living in border states experience every day.
Furthermore, their colleagues include:
Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
James Lankford (R-Okla.)
Chris Coons (D-Del.)
Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
“Today’s visit provided a sobering account of the very real challenges the men and women tasked with securing the border, border towns, and migrants experience every day. The combination of an unsecure border, an overworked and under-resourced Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection force, and never-before seen levels of illegal immigration, asylum seekers, and coordinated smuggling efforts have completely ruined an already broken system. We’re here to bring colleagues of diverse political beliefs together to finally make progress on an issue that matters deeply to all Arizonans and Americans,” said Sinema.
Earlier that Monday, the Senators met with U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents to get an update on current U.S. Customs and Border Protections operations before touring the USBP El Paso Central Processing Center.
Following the tour, the Senators held a roundtable with local border and immigration stakeholders. This was to hear from those on the frontlines in regards to what resources they need to deal with the ongoing crisis.
After that, the Senators then visited the El Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, currently the busiest port of entry processing migrants in the United States.