Sen. Sinema Wants Border Vote ASAP when Bill Is Released

Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) wants to rush the bipartisan migration-expanding border plan through the Senate before the public can react.

“I hope that we vote as soon as this [secret] package is public — with enough time for senators to read of course,” said Sinema.

She is working closely with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) to complete the hidden plan, which seeks to solve Washington’s border headache by converting illegal immigration into legal immigration.

“I would like to see a vote as soon as possible, and that’s what I would urge,” Sinema told Politico on January 31, even though the public would need time to read through the bill for the political landmines that are hidden in the complex legal jargon.

Her statement echoes the 2010 declaration by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that Representatives would have to first pass the Obamacare bill before they can learn what it does to the nation’s healthcare system. “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” she said.

So far, the Sinema/Lankford bill is being held up by disagreements within the GOP caucus while many GOP Senators try to block the giveaway.

Many polls show that GOP and independent voters reject the purpose of the bill, which is to legalize many of President Joe Biden’s illegal doorways in the nation’s border laws. That unpopularity has already prompted Donald Trump to denounce the bill. On Wednesday, Trump said:

I think they’re making a terrible mistake to vote for the bill. This is a terrible, terrible bill for our country. It’s a terrible bill …. [It supports] 5,000 [illegal migrant] people a day coming into our country. Who is negotiating this bill?

“President Biden looks increasingly vulnerable on the issue that has been the focus of former President Trump’s entire political career,” Axios said in a January 30 report about a new poll of voters in swing states. The article continued:

61% of those voters in those [seven swing] states say Biden is at least somewhat responsible for the wave of migration on the U.S.-Mexico border.

On the same question, 30% blamed the Trump administration and 38% blamed congressional Republicans.

Voters in those states say they trust Trump over Biden on immigration 52% to 30%. The 22 percentage point margin is up five points since the last poll in December.

The poll asked: “Based on what you know, how responsible, if at all, are the following for the increase in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border?” In response, Biden was deemed “very” responsible by 42 percent of registered voters, 22 percent of blacks, 35 percent of Hispanics, 38 percent of independents, 66 percent of Republicans, but just 38 percent of suburban women.

The poll asked: “Who do you trust more to handle each of the following issues? — Immigration.” Former President Donald Trump scored 52 percent, while Biden scored just 30 percent.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said they see “much more” or “somewhat more” migration into their community.

The January 16-22 poll of 4,956 registered voters was conducted by Morning Consult for Bloomberg.

The poll also showed that 41 percent of voters believe that illegal migration “significantly” hurts the U.S. economy. Another 23 percent said it “somewhat” hurts the economy, for a combined 64 percent negative judgment.

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Rolando Salinas Jr via Storyful

The result matches a January 28-30 poll by YouGov, which showed that a 37 percent plurality of 1,686 U.S. citizens believe legal and illegal “immigration makes the U.S. … worse off.” Just 31 percent say migration is a benefit. Among independents, the split is 36 percent “worse” and 27 percent “better.”

The bill’s complex rules would at least double the current legal migrant inflow into the United States. That would raise legal migration up to 2 million per year, or almost one migrant for every two Americans who graduate from high school.

In contrast, 44 percent of Americans prefer an inflow of 100,000 or less — or one-sixtieth of the Sinema/Lankford inflow — according to a 2021 survey by the pro-migrati0n Cato Institute. Just 20 percent of Americans prefer 2 million or more immigrants per year, the Cato poll showed.

Sinema’s call for a rapid vote comes as GOP Senators continue to zig-zag away from the pro-migration bill.

For example, the GOP’s Senate leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell suggested Wednesday that the Senate consider splitting the moribund border bill from the funding bills for Ukraine and Israel.

“It has certainly been a challenge to try to reach an agreement on the border … It is time for us to move something, hopefully including a border agreement, but we need to get help to Israel and Ukraine quickly,” McConnell told reporters.  “Obviously, this is an incredibly challenging political discussion we’ve been having.”

Other GOP leaders at the press conference with McConnell sidelined the border bill and instead talked about Biden’s curbs on the export of natural gas, the death of three soldiers in Iraq, and the killing of Americans by illegal migrants.

Despite the killings, “President Biden won’t shut the border down,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA). She continued:

December was the highest month on record. In this past fiscal year, we have had 50 illegal crossings by people on the FBI’s terror watch list. This is unacceptable to the American people.

The “decision as to whether to proceed to a floor vote, which would involve releasing the text, is largely a decision being made by Republicans,” complained Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is helping to negotiate the bill.