Sinema brings Arizona leaders to Washington to pressure Senate action on border crisis

Arizona Officials Share Border Crisis Stories in Washington

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) hosted a panel of local officials from Arizona in Washington this week to bring their stories on the impact of the border crisis into public view and pressure the Biden administration to do more. The senator led a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon to let leaders from across the state share the realities of life in border communities.

Realities of Life in Border Communities

• Mayor Clea McCaa II of Sierra Vista described an idyllic town shaken by the sudden influx of police speeding through the town in pursuit of human smugglers over the past two years. The citizens had witnessed the reckless behavior of smugglers, oftentimes minors from out of state recruited on apps like TikTok to make fast cash by picking up and driving illegal immigrants who crossed the border without getting caught.
• Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls testified that his border city’s nearly 100,000 residents were concerned about what would happen in several weeks when public health policy Title 42 is rescinded and border authorities lose the ability to expel immigrants back to Mexico immediately. Nicholls demanded on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency be brought in to handle all immigration matters because it was a federal issue.
• Dr. Francisco Garcia, chief medical officer for Pima, said the county has processed 150,000 illegal immigrants released onto its streets since 2019. Immigrants who crossed the border in Yuma have ruined portions of farmers’ fields, costing landowners $10,000 in losses per acre and workers their wages.
• Police Chief Kevin Hearod from Oklahoma shared with the panel how his city had been affected by the events at the border despite being so far away. Hearod said one of his officers was killed in the line of duty when an illegal immigrant crashed into the officer’s vehicle. The deceased officer, Joseph Barlow, was killed on March 20 while he was escorting the former police chief in a funeral procession. Hearod additionally said drugs were the greatest issue in his community and that the large majority originated in Mexico and were then trafficked into the United States, including throughout Oklahoma.

These stories highlight the urgent need for action to address the border crisis. It is a federal issue that requires federal solutions. Let’s hope that the Biden administration takes notice and takes action to protect our border communities.

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