Sinema blasts GOP colleagues using border for 'staged political events': 'Good luck to you'

07 February 2024

US Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) tore into her Republican colleagues Wednesday over their decision to walk away from the bipartisan border bill Monday, February 5.

As lawmakers are now "casting a vote to begin the process for debating a foreign aid package without the border security provisions," CNN reports, "The failed vote on the bipartisan bill amounts to a stunning rebuke by the Senate GOP of a deal that would have enacted restrictive border measures and was crafted in part by one of their own members."

During her speech, Sinema emphasized the reasons "why the National Border Patrol Council endorses" the bipartisan bill, and not the Republican-led H.R.2 (Secure the Border Act of 2023) legislation. She said, "We produced a bill that finally, after decades of all talk and no action, secures the border and solves the border crisis. Our bill was ready for prime time. We were ready to bring the bill to the floor, open it up for debate and amendments. You know, how the senate is supposed to work. And then pass the bill. But less than 24 hours after we released the bill, my Republican colleagues changed their minds. Turns out, they want all talk and no action."

The Arizona lawmaker continued, "It turns out border security is not a risk to our national security, it's just a talking point for the election. After all of their cable news appearances, after all those campaign photo ops in the desert, after all those trips to the border, this crisis isn't actually much of a crisis after all. Sunday morning, there was a real crisis at the border. Monday morning, that crisis magically disappeared. Well, guess what, guys, the crisis is real. It's real in Arizona. On Sunday, the day we released our bill, over 6,000 migrants crossed the border."

"On Monday, the day this body decided the border crisis was no longer a crisis, over 6,500 migrants crossed the border," Sinema noted. "And yesterday, the day my Republican conference members said we were not going to pass a border bill. The day my colleague said no, nearly 7,000 migrants crossed the border. The border emergency authority and our border bill would have shut the border down literally. Every single day this year. Now, I've been sharing the facts of our bill to anyone who would listen. I've refuted the lie that says our bill allows 5,000 migrants to enter the country every day. In fact, our bill stops those migrants from coming into the country every day."

She added, "Meanwhile, by killing our bill, we have no title 42-like authority to shut down the border. So 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 10,000, or even 14,000 migrants can cross into our country every single day. Make no mistake, a vote against this bill is a vote for the status quo. It is a vote for continued chaos at our border. Our current system let's migrants into the country with nothing but a piece of paper, a notice to appear, for a court date years into the future, and no accountability structure to ensure they actually show up. In Arizona, this broken system is commonly called 'catch and release.' It's been happening for years. Our bill ends catch and release, but when this bill fails, 'catch and release' will continue every single day."

Furthermore, the Arizona senator said, "Some people say the president has all the authority he needs to secure the border. Then tell me why Arizona has lived the nightmare of our border crisis for over 40 years, and through the past five administrations, Republican and Democrat. Before Covid, the last administration tried to shut down the border. The court stopped it. After Covid, the court struck down Title 42. It is clear we need a law. I've heard from some, that the only solution is the House Republican bill, H.R.2. To them, I point out that our bill, unlike H.R.2, actually includes penalties for those who try to cross the border when it shut down, creating a one-year bar for anyone who tries to cross twice. H.R.2? No consequences."

Sinema emphasized, "H.R.2 continues the current flawed policy that allows migrants to get work permits without any asylum interview. Our bill ends that. And that's why the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board called our bill 'the most restricted migrant legislation in decades.' We make sure that only those actually fleeing violence and persecution can stay here and work after they pass a new, faster, tougher screening. And if someone doesn't finish the asylum process, their work permit gets taken away. H.R.2? Silent. H.R.2 doesn't even fund new detention beds, guys. H.R.2: another example of all talk and no action."

"So if you want to spin the border crisis for your own political agendas, go right ahead," she concluded. "If you want to continue to use the southern border as a backdrop for your political campaign, that's fine. Good luck to you. But I have a very clear message for anyone using the southern border for staged political events. Don't come to Arizona. Take your political theater to Texas. Do not bring it to my state."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Sinema blasts GOP colleagues over 'using the southern border for staged political events'youtu.be

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