YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona says Senate negotiators are moving closer to a bipartisan border security deal.

Sinema said significant progress has been made in border security negotiations, with only one or two items left to negotiate.

“As you know, Arizona has borne the brunt of the federal government's failure to address this crisis over the past 40 years. These are the real consequences of not having one,” said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said she uses real-life examples to explain what life is like in Arizona.

In particular, Yuma and other border communities will help our colleagues understand the seriousness of the crisis and the urgent need to address this problem.

“We want to change the asylum process to make it more effective so that eligible people can apply for asylum in our country, but also to ensure that our borders are not exploited by cartels. We want to be able to manage it,” Sinema said.

The senator said cartels are now charging large sums of money to take people to the border and send them there.

However, most of these people do not even qualify for asylum.

“We need to change the system so that people can't just enter the country and wait for interaction with border agents. Who can enter the country, when can they enter the country, and do they have to go through immigration? “It's an orderly process,'' Sinema said.

More than 6,000 migrants passed through the Yuma area in November, according to Customs and Border Protection.

And we are still helping process immigration from the Tucson area.

Sinema said he hopes to conclude negotiations in the coming weeks.