Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly believes his own party “absolutely” does not understand the border crisis, while Republicans simply talk about it without doing “anything about it,” according to an interview with The Washington Post.

Kelly, who recently defeated Republican candidate Blake Masters in the Arizona senatorial election, told the Post that Democrats do not understand people’s frustration with the border issue, further saying that the country could benefit from stronger border security. Kelly believes Democrats don’t understand the issue, but Republicans have also failed to get anything done because they prefer to use it as a political point. (RELATED:Democrats In 4 Key Races Pressed Biden To Defund Border Enforcement Agencies, Grant Mass Amnesty: Report)

“When I first got to Washington, it didn’t take me long to realize that there are a lot of Democrats who don’t understand our southern border and a lot of Republicans who just want to talk about it. Don’t necessarily want to do anything about it, just want to use it politically,” Kelly said. “Our country would really benefit from stronger border security and comprehensive immigration reform.”

“We still have a situation where a lot of Democrats don’t really understand it and a lot of Republicans just want to talk about it and use it for political purposes,” Kelly continued.

—-> Mark Kelly on why Democrats need a strong border — and a strong GOP https://t.co/pfC5HFjatG

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) November 21, 2022

Kelly hopes to make progress in border security, but believes it needs to be done “in accordance with our ethics and our values” while not demoralizing people, according to the Post.

Under the Biden administration, migrant deaths have skyrocketed, as at least 853 migrants have died trying to illegally cross into the U.S. in the past year. In fiscal year 2022, a record number of migrants, 2.3 million, attempted to enter the U.S.

In September, House Republicans introduced legislation to move funding from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a response to the ever growing immigration issue. The legislation aims to refocus unused funds from the Inflation Reduction Act for the CBP to hire additional agents to secure the Southern border.

“Joe Biden’s priorities could not be more twisted. Americans don’t want more IRS agents; they want a secure border and safer streets. The DIRECT Funds for Border Security Act will deliver just that by investing in law enforcement,” Republican New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, who introduced the legislation, said.

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