U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) appeared to offer his tepid support for the bipartisan border bill that Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) helped craft and unveiled Sunday. His support is contrasted by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, who may face a three-way race with Gallego and Sinema in November, called the legislation a “slap in the face.”
Shortly after the announcement of the border bill, created in a joint effort that included Senators Sinema, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), Gallego wrote in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the bill should be taken seriously.
“Is this deal perfect? No. That’s the reality of compromise in a divided government,” wrote the Democrat, before declaring, “Anyone who rejects” the Senate bill due to political concerns “isn’t taking this crisis seriously.”
Arizona’s border communities and law enforcement need support. They need resources. They need fixes to a broken system.
After decades of inaction, it’s time to act. Is this deal perfect? No. That’s the reality of compromise in a divided government.
Anyone who rejects it out of…
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) February 5, 2024
The Arizona Sun Times contacted Gallego’s congressional office to clarify whether the representative would support Sinema’s bill, should it make it to the U.S. House, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Lake, in her own statement, suggested the bill does more to fund foreign wars than secure the southern border.
“The Biden-Sinema border deal, backed by Gallego, is a slap in the face to Arizona communities,” Lake said in a statement. “Under President Trump, we saw the most secure border in our lifetime, only to see it be stripped away by Joe Biden and his enablers, Kyrsten Sinema and Ruben Gallego.”
Lake continued, “This bill does more to fund endless wars overseas than it does to fund the security of American citizens. Simply put: this would make a permanent open border the law of the land. I’m running for U.S. Senate to finally clean this mess up and secure our border.”
“When I’m in the U.S. Senate, I will work tirelessly until we close the border, finish the wall and secure America,” the Republican pledged.
Meanwhile Sinema, who has not declared whether she will seek reelection this year, claimed in a post to X that her bill is “a real package offering solutions that will actually secure the border while preserving America’s promise to offer a safer life for those needing protection from persecution.”
The claims Sinema advanced in her post have been debunked or are hotly contested by Republicans and border security activists alike, who say the bill fails to end catch-and-release, permits the issuance of more than 50,000 more green cards and work permits, offers work permits to individuals already in the country illegally, provides taxpayer-funded lawyers to some illegal immigrants, and places strict limits on when the federal government can close the border and turn away those seeking to cross illegally.
As the bill was released, Lake’s campaign told The Sun Times that Sinema has “no path to victory,” citing her lagging polls and questionable use of taxpayer funds on private flights.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rep Ruben Gallego” by Rep. Ruben Gallego.
