WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema partnered with Republican Senator Thom Tillis (N.C.) to introduce bipartisan legislation resembling the operations of Title 42, giving the Administration a two-year temporary expulsion authority for migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. without inspection or proper documents. The Senators’ legislation is cosponsored by Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas.)

“Arizona border communities, law enforcement agencies, non-profits, and families are being left to manage a crisis they did not create. Despite our repeated calls, the Biden Administration failed to plan ahead and implement a realistic, workable plan; our legislation gives them more time to put a plan in place that will secure our border, protect Arizona communities on the frontlines of this crisis, and ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely,” said Sinema, Chair of the Border Management Subcommittee.

“The Biden Administration has failed to secure the border and the situation will get even worse once Title 42 is allowed to expire. It's clear that Congress must immediately step in, and the bipartisan bill I'm introducing with Senator Sinema will help prevent the catastrophic fallout at the border we will soon see if no action is taken,” said Tillis.

Sinema and Tillis’s bipartisan bill provides protections to ensure migrants are not returned to a place that would threaten their life, freedom, or expose them to torture, and allows case-by-case exemptions for migrants with acute medical needs.

Since the Title 42 authority was based on the existence of a public health emergency, this legislation gives the administration temporary expulsion authority that is not tied to public health.