NW Valley Times

Arizona State Sen. Janae Shamp said the U.S. and its citizens are "in grave danger so long as our border remains wide open," and state legislators have to take action to put an end to the border crisis. 

"Our nation is in grave danger so long as our border remains wide open," Shamp said. "Terrorists are teaming up with the cartels and are plotting attacks on our citizens. We can't ignore this crisis any longer."

Shamp recently toured a border site to discuss the dangers of the Mexican cartels and their growing power in the U.S. The cartels have reportedly learned skills and methods from organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, and have an economic presence similar to the entire country of Mexico. 

The Arizona State House recently passed the Save the Border Act, putting the legislation on the November ballot for Arizona residents to vote on. The legislation would make entering the state across the Mexican border through unauthorized channels a state crime, meaning local law enforcement could make arrests and local authorities sentence individuals with offenses. 

The bill, also known as SB4, also includes other provisions such as harsher penalties for drug dealers who traffic fentanyl which leads to an overdose death. It also makes knowingly submitting false information to apply for government benefits or employment while illegally residing in Arizona a state crime, and requires state agencies to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program when giving out benefits to determine the eligibility of non-U.S. citizens. 

According to a press release from the Arizona Senate Republicans, the bill is currently being evaluated in federal court but if upheld by voters in November, the border crossing provisions "would take effect in Arizona 60 days after implementation in Texas," where the measure is also being litigated. 

Shamp was first elected to represent Arizona’s 29th Legislative District in Nov. 2022. She defeated Democrat David Raymer, winning 59 percent to Raymer’s 41 percent. 

A resident of Surprise, Shamp graduated cum laude from Arizona State University and received her nursing degree, also graduating cum laude, from Grand Canyon University. 

She is an operating room nurse, and said she was fired from her nursing position for refusing to take the “COVID” MRNA injection.

Arizona’s 29th Legislative District is entirely located within Maricopa County, west and northwest of Phoenix. The district stretches from Litchfield Park in the south to north of Morristown in the north, stopping to the east of Wickenburg. It includes Luke Air Force Base.