Grand Canyon Times

WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema held a call with elected officials to discuss the end of Title 42 and hear how to best support Arizona border communities as they manage increased levels of migration.

 

“Despite our repeated calls, the Administration has failed to prepare and implement a workable plan for the end of Title 42. We’re bringing Arizona local leaders together to ensure our communities don’t suffer as a result of the Administration’s inaction – keeping families safe and secure,” said Sinema, Chair of the Border Management Subcommittee.

The Administration will end COVID-19-related emergency declarations on May 11, which will also remove the basis for Title 42. For more than a year, Sinema has urged the Administration to implement a comprehensive plan to prepare for the anticipated surge of migrant encounters when Title 42 ends.

The Senator recently questioned Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the Administration’s plans to manage increased levels of migration following Title 42’s permanent suspension and remains concerned about the lack of preparation.

Last week, Sinema led a Senate Government Operations and Border Management Subcommittee hearing with mayors and officials from frontline regions in Arizona to detail how the ongoing border and immigration crisis affects Arizona border communities.

Sinema led two bipartisan congressional delegations to the Arizona-Mexico border this year to show her colleagues what Arizona border communities experience every day. Last month, Sinema toured the Southwest border with U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), and Congressman David Valadao (R-Calif.). The delegation participated in a local perspectives discussion with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and other local leaders to hear from the Arizonans on the frontlines of the ongoing border crisis.

In January, Sinema led the largest bipartisan delegation in recent memory of U.S. Senators to the Southwest border in El Paso, Texas, and Yuma, Arizona to see the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis firsthand. In Yuma, Sinema convened a roundtable with participating U.S. Senators, nonprofits, local law enforcement, and local elected leaders, to discuss the challenges border communities face as a result of the crisis.

 

At the end of last year, Sinema partnered with Republican Senator Thom Tillis on a bipartisan proposal to fuel investments in Border Patrol Agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations Officers; provide control of the border through increased enforcement, technology, resources, and more; modernize the asylum system; reform the employment visa system to ensure our nation’s global competitiveness; and establish a pathway for legal citizenship for roughly 2 million Dreamers who were brought to this country when they were children through no fault of their own.

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Original source can be found here.