As the son of two police officers, Senator Kelly understands the difficult job facing Arizona’s law enforcement. That’s why in the Senate he’s delivered resources to local police stations to make sure they have what they need to do their jobs. And he’s stood up against members of his own party who want to defund the police because he knows that’s wrong for Arizona. Kelly has also delivered over $1 billion in resources to the border to help with increased staffing and technology and has successfully pressured the Department of Homeland Security to close gaps in the border barrier near Yuma.
BLAKE MASTERS CLAIM: Senator Kelly has done nothing to address the border crisis.
THE FACTS: Since taking office, Senator Kelly has stood up to the Administration and his party in order to help secure Arizona’s border.
KYMA: Senator Mark Kelly says the border situation in Yuma is a “crisis”
Border security, still top of mind for members of the federal government as a bill totaling well over a billion dollars is expected to be signed by the president to get more money to help secure our border.
The money comes as apprehensions for this year are expected to break last year’s record of 1.7 million and activity in the Yuma Sector is heating up.
“We have a crisis at our southern border,” Senator Mark Kelly said.
Kelly says $1 billion is specifically going to CBP for processing facilities, migrant medical care, transportation and personnel overtime.
KYMA: Plans on Yuma border wall gap construction moving forward
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly announced the Department of Homeland Security has authorized Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to move forward with plans to close gaps in the border wall locally.
Senator Kelly says the first contracts will be done by the end of September, and others will follow…
The announcement came soon after Senator Kelly sent a letter to President Biden telling him to close the gaps.Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls has publicly advocated for the gaps to be closed.“I want to thank Senator Kelly for working with me and other community leaders by forcing action to close these gaps,” Mayor Nicholls said.
KTAR: Sen. Mark Kelly says more help is on the way to the Arizona border
Arizona’s southern border has been a focal point for Kelly, a Democrat, since taking office late last year and he has been talking to fellow Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration about the issue…
“D.C. has failed Arizona on border security and immigration here for decades,” Kelly said. “Washington needs to do better and I’m going to continue to push Washington to do better.”
Herald Review: ‘Crisis On Top Of A Crisis’: Kelly Says Biden Has No Plan For Border After Dumping Title 42
“I warned them about this months ago,” Kelly said. “I’ve been talking to Customs and Border Protection, I’ve been talking to the Department of Homeland Security. They do not have a plan in place on how to deal with the increase in numbers.”…
“I appreciate Sen. Mark Kelly taking the time to visit our county to hear from Border Patrol and community leaders to discuss our current border challenges,” the [Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels] said. “I applaud Sen. Kelly for his support of Title 42 during a time where our southern border is already under crisis.”
Fox News: Sen. Kelly Looking To Carve Bipartisan Path On Border Solutions As Arizona Hit Hard By Crisis
With Arizona at the front lines of the raging border crisis, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly has been working with Republicans to find measures that can garner majority support in a split Senate that has struggled to pass legislation on the border crisis — while also pushing the Biden administration to take further action…
His pressure has produced results. After he called for additional resources at the border earlier this year, a spending bill included $100 million for extra Border Patrol hiring and $1.2 billion for border processing and management. Border Patrol has since been offering hiring bonuses to try and bring in new agents.
Then this month, the Biden administration announced that it would fill four gaps in the border wall near Yuma, Arizona, something for which Kelly had lobbied. The announcement was notable given the Biden administration’s intense opposition to border wall construction beyond limited repair and environmental operations.
Kelly acknowledged it had been difficult to secure that commitment, but cited his own background working for NASA — where he served as a Space Shuttle pilot — and in the Navy as experience tackling difficult operational problems.
BLAKE MASTERS CLAIM: Senator Kelly has failed to support law enforcement.
THE FACTS: Senator Kelly has delivered resources to Arizona law enforcement to keep our communities safe.
Havasu News: Lake Havasu City Police station gets $1.78M from Congress
The federal government has agreed to chip in to help pay for repairs and upgrades to Lake Havasu City’s police station and jail, along with a couple other projects in Mohave County, as part of a $1.5 trillion budget bill that will fully fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year…
“After working together with local leaders in Lake Havasu City, we were able to deliver this much-needed funding that will upgrade the police station and ensure that law enforcement has the resources they need to keep the residents and visitors who fuel Lake Havasu’s economy safe,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona).
Havasu has been working with Kelly’s office since June to obtain the federal funding for the project. According to a press release from Kelly’s office, Havasu’s police station and jail is one of 50 projects throughout the state that Kelly and fellow Arizona Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, helped secure Congressionally Directed Spending for as part of the budget bill – totaling nearly $91 million statewide.
12News: Mesa using portion of COVID-19 relief funding on new crime center
The City of Mesa intends to use a portion of its $53 million grant from the American Recovery Plan Act on a new crime-fighting center.
The city is finalizing plans for a new multi-million dollar crime center, which should be equipped with a wall of surveillance cameras designed to catch and stop crime in real-time…
As for the funding, the city plans to slice up its ARPA dollars by putting $7.8 million aside for public safety. This allotment would pay for five new ambulances, a contact-free temperature checking machine, resources like behavioral health clinicians for the fire department to use on crisis calls, and the RTCC, which is expected to cost $3.3 million.
Copper Area: Sen. Kelly touts funding for public safety in Pinal County with law enforcement, local officials; Kelly secures $187,000 for Pinal County Operations Center in this year’s federal funding bill
Last week, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly visited the Pinal County Emergency Operations Center which will receive $187,000 from this year’s government funding bill. The Kelly-secured funding will support technology upgrades at the Emergency Operations Center, which will enhance operational coordination, communication, and public safety efforts throughout the county.
During his visit, Kelly toured the facility and met with the county’s emergency management team and local officials to discuss how the funding will support public safety and law enforcement. Kelly was joined by the Chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors Jeffrey McClure, Pinal County Emergency Manager Chuck Kmet, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer, and Town of Superior Chief of Police Frank Alanis.
