Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced that a party of eight U.S. Senators—three Democrat, four Republican, and one Independent—will visit the U.S.-Mexico border in El-Paso, Texas, to observe first hand what Sinema called “Washington’s failure.”
Those joining them Monday and Tuesday will be Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.).
First on the agenda is a roundtable discussion with El Paso City officials, law enforcement officials, local non-profit organizations providing migrant care, businesses and others, CBS reported. The meeting will take place in a temporary Emergency Migrant Operations Facility set up in a shuttered middle school.
After the meeting, the senators will be shown the accommodation and services for illegal immigrants at the premise and a joint press conference will ensue.
The senators will discuss federal and state efforts of border management with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the National Border Patrol Council, the Texas National Guard, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Next, the party will embark on a two-day tour along the southern border from Texas to Arizona. The senators will visit the El Paso Central Processing Center and the Del Norte port of entry, followed by a night tour of the border accompanied by law enforcement. On Tuesday, the senators will continue their tour to the Arizona-Mexico border region in Yuma.
“I’m glad to lead a bipartisan group of my colleagues,” declared Sinema. “I believe by working together we can bridge divides, help find lasting solutions, and start solving the crisis at our border.”
Murphy, Chair of the Appropriations subcommittee that writes the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, stated that “Congress has to get serious about finding a bipartisan solution that will protect our border from legitimate threats like cartel smuggling operations, treat families and children humanely, and preserve the rights of asylum seekers.”
Tillis deplored the humanitarian crisis at the border and the “historic illegal entries and massive amounts of dangerous drugs being smuggled into our country.”
“It’s time to get serious about enforcing the law and supporting our Border Patrol,” said Lankford. “President Biden stated yesterday that he plans to meet with Border Patrol to find out what they need while he is at the border. I hope that he listens.”
Coons said he hoped that the trip signifies “the start of a serious, bipartisan process that will produce safe, orderly, humane, and fair solutions.”
Moran thanked Sinema and Cornyn for their initiative. As a ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, he longs to soon see concrete measures to resolve what he called a “humanitarian, public health and national security crisis.”
