Senator’s roundtable in Yuma is part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation of U.S. Senators touring the Southern border to witness the security and humanitarian crisis
YUMA – Following a tour of the border, Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee, brought together a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators in a Congressional delegation for a roundtable with local leaders and the Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH).
The U.S. Senators participating in Sinema’s Congressional delegation to Yuma include John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.).
“Today’s roundtable with Yuma-area leaders and a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues included honest, non-partisan conversations to help identify solutions to improve our border security and address the humanitarian crisis. The feedback we heard from Yuma-area leaders made clear the challenges border communities face, and I’m grateful for these leaders’ partnership in keeping border communities safe and ensuring the fair and humane treatment of migrants,” said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee and leader of the bipartisan delegation.
The border security and humanitarian crisis in Yuma has put a significant strain on local governments and the RCBH, which is the only non-profit operating inside Yuma County that is responding to the migrant releases from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. Sinema and the bipartisan Congressional delegation participated in this roundtable with local leaders, law enforcement, and RCBH to better understand how this crisis impacts their communities and strains resources.
Sinema and her colleagues examined the crisis’ impact on communities, street releases, transportation, migrant workforce around agriculture and its impact on our national food supply, and the new CBP Shelter and Services Program, which will provide funding to local governments and non-profits to help CBP address overcrowding in their facilities and reduce the impacts of the border crisis on local communities.
Local leaders participating in the roundtable include Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls, RCBH CEO Amanda Aguirre, Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya, Yuma County Board of Supervisors Chairman Martin Porchas, Tony Reyes and Jonathan Lines from the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, Cocopah Indian Tribe Chairwoman Sherry Cordova, and Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, among others.
Sinema’s roundtable is part of a tour she led to the border with a bipartisan Congressional delegation of U.S. Senators.
The Sinema-led Congressional delegation tour of the Yuma border follows the Senators’ tour of the border in El Paso, Texas to see the security and humanitarian crisis on another part of the Southwest border.
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; reassert 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.
In a December Senate floor speech about her bipartisan proposal, Sinema vowed to continue her work finding a path forward on a comprehensive plan to secure the border and ensure the humane treatment of migrants in the new year by bringing a group of committed Senators to the Southwest border.
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