Senator thanked Chief Clem for his work managing the challenging situation in the Yuma Sector, and underscored her support for the men and women on the ground keeping Arizona communities safe
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema spoke with Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem on the situation at the border. Sinema underscored her support 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, Sinema and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly urged 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. As Chair of the Senate’s Border Management Subcommittee, Sinema relies on the direct feedback from partners, like Chief Clem, on the ground about the situation at the border.
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.
Sinema and Sen. Kelly secured major investments to secure and manage the border in the recently-passed Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law that Sinema co-wrote and negotiated and Kelly helped shape, makes historic border investments to land ports of entry that allow for more efficient cross-border trade to support Arizona jobs and allow Customs and Border Protection to better detect and stop criminal behavior.
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.