WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona where they toured the Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry, met with U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and visited the Casa Alitas shelter, which helps provide resources and support to migrant families. Cortez Masto also toured USBP and CBP facilities in Tucson and Lukeville, Arizona.
“Congress needs to stop playing political games and take real action to address the unprecedented surge of migrant crossings at our southern border,” said Senator Rosen. “I spoke directly with law enforcement personnel and nonprofit organizations at the border, and it’s clear this crisis is overwhelming them. We need to deliver the resources and technology required to improve security at the border, stop the illegal flow of fentanyl into our country, and fix our broken immigration system and asylum process. Both parties must come together on this, and I’m committed to helping pass bipartisan legislation to solve these problems.”
“At the border, I saw firsthand the need to hire more CBP officers and USBP agents, fund new technology to crack down on drug trafficking, and fix our asylum process that isn’t working,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I agree with the law enforcement leaders and advocates I met with – we need to do more to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system. Congress must pass the $14 billion in border security funding President Biden has proposed and act on a real solution that reduces the strain on our front line officers, ensures legitimate asylum claims can be processed quickly, and keeps our communities safe.”
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have consistently pushed to fix our broken immigration system by balancing critical border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers. They’ve also called on the Biden administration to prioritize additional resources to stop the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl through ports of entry along the border and recently voted to advance legislation to provide nearly $14 billion in funding to strengthen border security and humanely process migrants.
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