Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema made a big splash when she announced that she had left the Democratic Party, and resurrected herself as an independent. The Wall Street Journal described Sinema’s shift as “a jolt through Washington.” Just days after the Senate Democrats sewed up a 51-49 majority with Georgia’s Rafael Warnock prevailing over his Republican challenger Herschel Walker, the unanswered question was how loyal, if at all, will Sinema be to the Biden agenda. Sinema is Arizona’s first Democratic senator since Dennis DeConcini who retired in 1995.
In an Arizona Republic self-congratulatory opinion piece, Sinema wrote that she’s rejecting party politics, distancing herself from Washington’s broken partisan system, and will retain her independent voting spirit. “Nothing’s going to change about me,” Sinema wrote.
Assuming that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer makes good on his promise that Sinema will keep her committee assignments, and that Sinema fulfills her vow that “nothing’s going to change about me,” then Arizonans are in for more—much more—illegal immigration at the state’s already porous border.
One of Sinema’s committee assignments is to Chair the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management. Even though tasked with border management, Sinema has 98% of the time voted against legislation that would help reduce the Biden-inspired invasion. In 2021, Sinema voted against an amendment that would have reinstated the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as Remain in Mexico.
Now that the Supreme Court has blessed ending Remain in Mexico, a decision that based on her earlier vote Sinema would hail, Arizonans’ will be subjected to an ever-increasing migrant stream.
In FY 2021, Southwest border patrol agents apprehended nearly 1.7 million illegal migrants, a new annual high. More than 305,000 apprehensions occurred in Tucson and Yuma. Then, in FY 2022, the illegal immigrant flow smashed the previous year’s record. Agents apprehended 2.2 illegal immigrants, 562,000 in Tucson and Yuma.
A snapshot of illegal immigrant activity that Yuma Border Sector Chief Chris Clem compiled which covered the period from November 6 through December 3 showed that 18,000 migrants were arrested representing nationals from more than 46 countries. Included in the apprehended population were 13 convicted felons, 360 unaccompanied minors, and 117 who were subsequently prosecuted for illegal entry, re-entry and smuggling.
Sinema was one of four Democratic senators who signed a November letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking him to explain how he will secure the southern border when Department of Homeland Security documents show it expects more noncitizens to cross illegally each day than there are Border Patrol agents on the southern border. Letters are ineffective bluster, but votes count and the four senators have identical voting records that allowed the border crisis to surge. The four Democrats who joined Sinema on the letter—Mark Kelly, Arizona; Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire, Jon Tester, Montana, have consistently voted for less enforcement, and more illegal immigration tolerance.
Looking ahead warily to 2024 when she’ll be up for re-election, Sinema is worried that by then Arizona’s barely recognizable border will have dissolved into nothing. Assuming Title 42 ends December 21 as announced, immigration analysts forecast that every day, 18,000 migrants will enter; every month, 540,000 will cross, and by year-end 2024 6.5 million foreign-nationals will have taken up U.S. residency. Sinema has made the easy calculation that distancing herself from the Democrats and the party’s open borders agenda is the politically wise move. In November 2024, Sinema will learn whether recasting herself as an Independent will be enough to save her political hide. To win, Sinema’s future votes will have to match her Independent Party rhetoric.
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