Bipartisan coalition of Arizona officials – including mayors and business leaders – announce support for Sinema-led border security bill
WASHINGTON – A growing chorus of bipartisan Arizona officials are announcing their support for Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s bipartisan border security bill.
The Arizonans – including Yuma Mayor Nicholls, Mesa Mayor Giles, Casa Grande Mayor McFarland, The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Governor Katie Hobbs, former Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and more – detail how the Sinema-led package will help reassert control of the border, enhance security, stop the overwhelming flow of migrants, and provide long-awaited relief to Arizona communities. Yesterday, the National Border Patrol Council endorsed Sinema’s bipartisan bill.
“Arizona stands united for a stronger, safer border. The bipartisan Senate agreement represents a critical opportunity to achieve this. It’s time for action. Congress faces a choice: bipartisan problem-solving or political gamesmanship. We must prioritize providing a safe, secure, and humane border as we work to keep our communities safe,” said Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.
“As a border mayor, I have and continue to urge Congress to take action to protect our borders. There is a critical need for immigration reform, and this bipartisan bill is a step in support of enforcement to manage the crisis. Thank you Senator Sinema for your leadership, and for incorporating many of the specific issues that border leaders have asked be addressed,” said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls.
“Yuma shoulders the burden of a broken immigration and border system. For too long, our community has been asked to do the impossible with little to no resources or help from the federal government. I am grateful for Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s leadership in writing the most important bipartisan border security legislation in decades, and I hope Congress quickly passes it to help fix the broken border and give Yuma the help we need,” said Yuma County Supervisor Lynne Pancrazi.
“Casa Grande and other Arizona communities have had to shoulder the burden of the federal government’s failures at our border for far too long. I applaud Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema for leading the charge and writing strong border security policy that will protect Arizona families and solve the border crisis. Arizona deserves solutions and inaction here is not an option,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland.
“I am saddened after all these many months, now some Senators have second thoughts about this from both parties. They need to understand from a border Mayor’s perspective with limited resources, what it does to our community to now walk away from this bill. The border and flow of migrants is a problem that needs action now, not after an election or continued negotiations. Kicking the can down the road compounds any future ability to deal with this national problem. I would like to ask any of them to reverse their roles and trade places with me. How they would like to live in my home as a helicopter circled my home and neighbor at 6:30 in the morning for about an hour, as was the case today,” said Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge.
“We are grateful to Senator Sinema and her Senate colleagues for working on this significant piece of legislation. We are grateful to see real leadership on this issue. While some may think it is all politics, for those of us on the border, it is very real and the lack of inaction is affecting us every day,” said Supervisor Bruce Bracker from Santa Cruz County. “If passed this bill will get much needed resources to the border and to federal enforcement authorities so they can do their job right.”
“I applaud this legislation and urge my Republican colleagues to set aside political games and support essential immigration reform. As a mayor in a border state, I’ve seen cities grapple with these challenges for decades. I applaud our Arizona Senator Sinema for her work to bring together both sides to deliver pragmatic solutions. This bipartisan proposal addresses our outdated immigration system, providing crucial support to our cities and dedicated border personnel. Cities and community members know that the time for decisive action is now,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles.
“I want to applaud Senator Sinema for her leadership on the border security proposal. The crisis at our border has overwhelmed the personnel, funding and resources we rely on to ensure that our border is secure and our communities are safe. This bipartisan package will help address this urgent issue by providing the necessary tools to combat the persistent and pervasive challenges we are facing at our border,” said Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke.
“Since Joe Biden has been in office, CBP has averaged over 8,000 apprehensions per day and the vast majority of these illegal immigrants have been released under a policy known as catch-and-release. Approximately 60% of all border apprehensions are single adults, a good number of whom are military age men. The Border Act of 2024 will give U.S. Border Patrol agents authorities codified, in law, that we have not had in the past. This will allow us to remove single adults expeditiously and without a lengthy judicial review which historically has required the release of these individuals into the interior of the United States. This alone will drop illegal border crossings nationwide and will allow our agents to get back to detecting and apprehending those who want to cross our borders illegally and evade apprehension. While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is far better than the current status quo. This is why the National Border Patrol Council endorses this bill and hopes for its quick passage,” said Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council.
Border communities disproportionately shoulder the burden of our immigration system. The bipartisan border bill in the U.S. Senate provides needed resources to U.S. Border Patrol and the courts to do their jobs, process asylum claims and secure the border. I am pleased Senators Lankford and Sinema have facilitated a bi-partisan effort to author this legislation and I hope for swift passage of this package into law,” said former Arizona Governor and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
“The Greater Phoenix Chamber thanks Senator Sinema and those involved in the bi-partisan negotiations on the immigration provisions contained in the emergency supplemental funding proposal being considered by the U.S. Senate. The Chamber has long advocated for comprehensive immigration solutions and this proposal addresses needed border security, asylum and key visa reforms. As a border state, Arizona has been on the frontlines of the border crisis and the status quo is simply no longer acceptable. We urge Congress to pass these critical items along with providing needed aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan,” said Todd Sanders, CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
“The Chandler Chamber of Commerce is proud to support Kyrsten Sinema on the bipartisan border security deal. Arizona’s dire need for commonsense solutions cannot be overstated, and we urge Congress to act swiftly to ensure a more secure and resilient Arizona,” said the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.
“We applaud Senator Sinema and the bipartisan efforts that have been put forward in addressing a national security threat that is impacting our border communities. We have long advocated for more border security and policies that will address the issues and concerns that border states like Arizona have been plagued with. We support the efforts and feel this is the first step in addressing border security and closing the loopholes in our immigration policies that only Congress can address. The failure to act has impacted the entire county, particularly those farm and ranch families living along the border. We must make our borders safe and secure, and it is simply time for Congress to act. Every day in which we accept the status quo the problem will become even more difficult to fix. We realize this bill isn’t perfect but also know there is an opportunity to continue to work with lawmakers toward meaningful policy solutions that will further address our broken immigration system,” said Stefanie Smallhouse, President of the Arizona Farm Bureau.
Click HERE to read the bill text, HERE to read a brief summary, HERE to read a section-by-section of the bill, and HERE to view a Myth v. Fact sheet.
Sinema, Lankford, and Murphy’s bipartisan package reasserts control of the border, protects border communities, disrupts the flow of fentanyl into the country, and solves the border crisis by ending catch and release, strengthening our asylum system by delivering determinations efficiently and fairly, enhancing security, and improving the legal immigration system.