McSally also visits site, speaks of ‘closing loopholes’ to deter crossings
U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., spoke to reporters in Yuma Thursday about legislation in the wake of last weekend’s mass shootings, as well as border security at a time when illegal crossings are on the decline.
She was at the Yuma Sector Border Patrol headquarters, where she’d met with Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and toured the recently opened soft-sided migrant processing center on the property.
“So we saw the area where individuals are staying before they are fully processed, and the kids were actually playing ball with one of the agents who was there,” she said. “Some of the children were watching television, and the temperature was actually comfortable, and there are snacks available.”
McSally said the massive tent structure provides enough capacity for migrant families and unaccompanied children waiting as U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents to enter their cases and asylum cases into federal databases.
In the case of the families, many are then released on their own recognizance, due to lack of family-oriented detention space with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“It provides the capacity for individuals to be housed, while they’re being fully processed, to be in humane conditions, which I think everybody can agree on that,” she said.
She is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., which has passed
out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which she said will “close the loopholes” which have encouraged migrants with children, particularly from poor Central American countries, to cross the border without the required documents and file an asylum claim.
McSally encouraged Democratic opponents of the “Secure and Protect Act” to consider this or other actions to reduce the incentive for families and children to make the often dangerous journey north.
“You’re not for closing loopholes, you’re not for securing the border, how are you going to address this issue?” she asked. “That sounds like anybody can come, and then everybody gets released. I don’t think that’s sustainable or fair, and the people I represent don’t want that to be the way we deal with that situation.”
The legislation would extend the amount of time migrant families with children can be held in ICE custody from 20 to 100 days, allow faster deportation of unaccompanied minors back to nations other than Mexico or Canada, raise the level of proof required of all migrants seeking asylum and establish at least four processing centers in Mexico and Central America, among other measures.
“I’d ask everybody to take a look at our legislation, and if you have ideas to improve, I’m happy to have that conversation, but let’s get it to a vote,” she said.
The number of migrant Central American families crossing the border has fallen from record highs earlier this year, as was announced by McAleenan earlier in the day.
In July, the total number of migrants apprehended at ports of entry or elsewhere on the border was 82,000, a 43% decrease from May and a 26% decrease from the June numbers.
The senator said this is largely the result of the Mexican government’s efforts to keep the migrants from reaching the U.S. border.
“They are providing more support and apprehensions themselves, they are stopping some of the buses that we were previously seeing dropped off at the border, sometimes hundreds of people crossing the border at once,” she said. “They’re also providing more support for people to return and be in Mexico while their asylum claim is being processed.” She said she’s willing to consider cutting short Congress’ August recess as congressional leaders and the Trump administration react to the shooting attacks which killed 20 in El Paso Saturday and nine in Dayton early Sunday, but “let’s not put politics with it.”
McSally said that during her previous terms in the U.S. House, she successfully pushed bills to address some of the underlying issues that are being brought up again now, by Republicans and some Democrats.
“I’ve been leading on these issues in the past, the root causes of these issues in the past,” she said. “I’ve had legislation introduced specifically on mental health and strengthening the background check system, A lot of that was already signed into law.
“We have grants to support school safety, that was already signed into law, but we clearly need to do more because these tragedies keep happening,” she said.
She stopped short of stating she would support universal background checks for gun purchases, but said, “I’ll look at any piece of legislation. I’ll talk with anybody on what policy is common sense, what can we get across the finish line, and ultimately what we can do to protect people’s constitutional rights.”
McSally noted that state and local measures will have to be there to work with any federal measures approved, including “redflag” laws limiting mentally unstable peoples’ access to weapons. She also encouraged heightened awareness by everyone. “I think we all need to, ‘when you see something say something,’ when you see individuals be violent or have tendencies towards violence, don’t just walk by that problem. Do what you can to provide assistance so we can stop these tragedies from happening,” she said.