Whatever she does as a public figure, Kyrsten Sinema is a magnet both for criticism and media attention. A self-proclaimed voice for those who don’t have one and a crusader against social injustice, the District 15 Democrat representative is also one of the more polarizing members of the Legislature. Whether due to her politics — she’s one of the most liberal lawmakers — or her personality — she’s articulate and outspoken — Capitol observers seem to either instantly like her or disdain her.
But within the walls of the Legislature it’s a different story. While she has gained notoriety, especially in recent months, for her stands on illegal immigration and other hot-button issues, she has also worked behind the scenes with lawmakers from both parties to create laws to help Arizonans.
Sinema sat down with Arizona Capitol Times on Statehood Day, Feb. 14, and spoke about fearing for her safety, immigration and her shoe collection.
Have things calmed down for you now that your bill to outlaw armed citizen border patrol groups or militias (H2286) has officially been killed≠
Things have quieted down somewhat, but I am still receiving some very hateful things. I received notice about one blogger who said, “We’ve got to get rid of that Marxist bitch Sinema and hope that she gets tarred and feathered.” That was a good one. Another person told me he couldn’t wait to start cutting off the heads of illegal aliens so he could leave them on my doorstep.
So, I’m still getting nice little tidbits like that. But I am not in any current fear for my safety.
How much fear for your safety did you have once your bill hit the newspapers and ramping up to the committee hearing≠
I will say there is nothing more frightening to a woman than the threat of rape or harm to her as a woman. That was scary — much scarier than death threats, which I have received before. I did have some concern.
I was very grateful for the precautions that the speaker and House security, DPS [Department of Public Safety] and the Phoenix Police Department instituted. I was very grateful for that.
You’ve been criticized heavily for the bill, even from some in your own party, who say you shouldn’t have introduced it if you didn’t want it to get heard in a committee. How do you respond to that≠
I don’t think fights within the [Democratic] party should be put in public, so I won’t really say any more about that. I believe in keeping it in the family.
What do you think about the criticisms the bill received from your Republican counterparts, who said it wasn’t necessary because there haven’t been any documented cases of violence from any of these groups≠
Well, that’s just not true, though. There are documented cases of attacks. Roger Barnett is notorious — there are over 19 police reports of him, dating as far back as 1993, assaulting and attacking undocumented and documented persons of Latino heritage.
This kind of legislation is necessary because the local law enforcement has chosen not to follow through and enforce the laws. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever has, up until now, refused to investigate those and refer them on to the county prosecutor. And only after some legal citizens won a lawsuit against Roger Barnett in the past two months has there been any indication of local law enforcement being interested in even investigating these crimes that are being committed.
So, there are incidents of this happening, and those incidents will continue to escalate. In the past three weeks, we’ve seen four murders on the border, and the descriptions of who committed those murders are very frightening: individuals wearing full camouflage, driving a white van with a red light on top to look like Border Patrol. That sounds like vigilantes to me.
And that will continue to escalate until our federal government does something about the border.
You and other Democrats have had some personal attacks thrown your way during committee hearings on immigration legislation, whether is was on your bill or with regards to the National Guard’s role on the border. Why is that, do you think≠
It’s very easy to attack a person when you can’t attack their idea. It’s nothing new. I was attacked quite a bit during the last election, as well. During the Prop. 107 fights, toward the end of the campaign, there were personal attacks against me, and what I said then is what I will say now: Ad hominem attacks are those attacks made by individuals who cannot attack the truth of the idea being presented and must resort to personal attacks. I don’t believe in that and I don’t believe in doing it and I think it’s sad that others do.
What do you think of the overarching Republican Party stance on illegal immigration≠
It’s not complete. Arizonans and Americans want rational, comprehensive immigration reform. And they want things that the Arizona Legislature can’t provide. They do want a safe and secure border. They want to address the issues of people who are already in this country who do not have proper documentation. And they want to create a reasonable system for people to enter this country and work lawfully and then return home to their families.
The Arizona Legislature can’t meet all those things. The federal government has to do that — we don’t have the power to change or alter the status of people who are here already and we don’t have the power to create a workable guest worker program.
What can the state do instead≠
The state can take efforts to supplement and support the work of the federal government. House Democrats have introduced a piece of legislation, H2699, that does provide support to the federal government and, again, highlights the need for action. What that legislation does is it gives grants to local law enforcement agencies that are bearing the brunt of illegal immigration. It provides them with the funds to support the work they are doing by necessity on the ground as border communities.
The bill also institutes a workable and realistic employer sanctions program to punish those employers who knowingly hire undocumented persons and who benefit from that system while other, law-abiding employers, are following the rules. This starts to really take on those individuals who are cheating.
And then, the legislation also addresses some of the other bits and pieces we can do in Arizona, which is to make sure all workers are treated fairly and to ensure that people are not being extorted or treated unfairly.
That’s a start. It’s only a supplement — that bill, in itself, will not solve all of the immigration problems in the country, but it’s what Arizona’s Legislature can do to help support what the federal government must do.
Is immigration the top concern for the state right now≠
Oh, it is. The voters have said that it’s a top concern. In fact, the last poll I saw showed that 87 percent of Arizona voters believe that we must have employer sanctions as a start to addressing this problem.
What is the second most important thing≠
I think education. The voters have always voiced a need to improve our public education system. The governor has been a leader on this issue, starting from pre-K all the way up to [graduate school] — her P-20 Council — to address the needs of our growing state. We are continuing to grow at a very, very rapid pace. In order to be prepared for the economic future of Arizona, we’ve got to have a top-notch public education system.
The governor and, I believe, some members of our Legislature are trying to get us there. I think the voters are demanding that we get there.
I think it would surprise some people, but you have worked with some very conservative Republicans on legislation and it’s not you going up against the entire Republican caucus, despite your differences in politics. Who do you get along with best and what is it that helps you work together≠
I get along on a personal level with many of the Republican members of our Legislature. I actually get along really well with [Rep.] Eddie Farnsworth. Eddie’s very smart and he has a great sense of humor. So, although we don’t agree on many political issues, I think we have a mutual respect for each other in that regard. Eddie’s fun!
I get along well with Rep. Jonathan Paton, who, as we all know, is serving our country in Iraq. He and I have worked together on a number of issues in the past. In fact, last year, we partnered to pass a piece of legislation that I drafted to protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers and their babies in Arizona.
I get along well with Sen. Karen Johnson. Again, very different ends of the political spectrum, but we’ve come together on some issues and worked well together.
I’ve even partnered on a bill with Rep. [Russell] Pearce!
The nice thing, I think, about our body is we can have our very different political opinions, but this is a very practical place, and you can come together and work together on practical issues and get along really well that way.
What could all lawmakers keep in mind to remove the vitriol that sometimes gets injected into debates at the Capitol and put aside political differences≠
What I always try to do is always try to remember to keep a sense of humor and to always be polite. There are some who will say, “Oh, Kyrsten, she’s progressive or too progressive or whatever,” but as long as we have debate that is polite and has a sense of humor — about yourself and others — then I think we can always get through the day.
Above all, I think we need to remember that we’re here for the state. We’re not here for ourselves. We’re here for the future of our state and we must be able to — all of us — put aside our political issues and ideals long enough to find solutions that are workable for our state. I think we can do that and we do do that in many instances.
Up closer
How many shoes do you own≠ I haven’t counted, but it’s well over 100 pairs.

Who is your favorite public figure≠
Sojournor Truth [abolitionist, minister, ex-slave, activist for women’s rights]. She was an amazing strong voice during a time of repression.

Do you have any hidden talents≠
I acted in community theater and I have a secret hankering to do standup comedy.

What was the last book you read≠
I am reading the collected short stories of Flannery O’Connor and “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron.

What was the worst movie you’ve seen≠ I hate bad movies. “Lost City”starring Andy Garcia. I got up and walked out of it in the theater in the first five minutes. It was overacted and the lines were just so fake.