Kyrsten Sinema's Border Crusade

The controversial Arizona senator is hoping a win on immigration will help build her rep as a bipartisan dealmaker

- ALEX J. ROUHANDEH

AS THE 2024 ELECTION SEASON DRAWS NEAR, immigration policy on the southern border has emerged as a make-or-break issue for both parties. For Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who recently switched her affiliation from Democrat to independent, it also represents an opportunity-a chance to leave behind a reputation as an obstructionist among some members of her former party and build her image as a bipartisan dealmaker who can get things done in a divided congress.

A deal can come none too soon.

Last month, in what's become an all-too-familiar occurrence, hundreds of migrants tried to rush across the bridge from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, shouting "we want to get through!" On the other side, outnumbered border agents sat behind temporary barriers, ready for confrontation.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz has acknowledged that morale among his  agents is at an "all-time low" as the agency faces historic migration levels as individuals flee increasing gang violence and economic devastation.

In a show of determination to find a solution that both parties can live with, Sinema, with Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, co-led a bipartisan group of eight senators to the same area in January. Although border tours by prominent politicians are commonplace these days, this trip was different, Sinema tells Newsweek in an exclusive interview, calling it the "largest bipartisan congressional delegation from the Senate [to the border] in decades." Also in the group: Republicans Jerry Moran of Kansas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma, plus Democrats Mark Kelly of Arizona, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Coons of Delaware.