Several Democrats oppose the Biden administration’s plan to invalidate Title 42 next month, warning of serious consequences if health policy is removed without a plan to control the massive influx of migrants arriving at America’s southern border.
Announced earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that on May 23 it would end title 42. The policy applied since March 2020 by both Presidents Trump and Biden has allowed US officials to ban migrants from entering the country during a health crisis such as the COVID pandemic -19.
President Biden (Agencja Katie McTiernan / Anadolu via Getty Images | Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While the drive to end Title 42 has certainly raised opposition from Republicans who support tough immigration policies, many Democrats, some who are ready for re-election or seeking other positions, also express concern about the planned removal as conditions on the southern border continue to worsen.
Citing a person familiar with internal discussions, Axios announced Tuesday evening that the White House was considering continuing the repeal of Title 42 next month due to responses from members of Biden’s own party.
Ohio Democratic international Tim Ryan, who announced last year that he wanted to retire Republican Senator Rob Portman, told Fox News Digital that the removal of title 42 was “wrong and reckless” as he warned of the consequences and safety of Americans.
“The administration’s decision to withdraw Title 42 is wrong and reckless,” said Ryan. “Ending this policy prematurely without taking any further steps does not keep Americans safe, supports our Border Guard agents, protects asylum seekers, or provides a comprehensive solution that our immigration system needs.”
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MP Susie Lee, D-Nev., Who is running for re-election to represent Nevada’s 3rd Congress District, also expresses concern, saying in a statement delivered to Fox News Digital that there must be a “remedial growth” plan before she can support the removal policy.
“Until the administration can demonstrate that there is a plan in place to deal with the surge in border migration in a humane, safe and orderly manner, I cannot support the decision to end Title 42 at this time,” Lee said. “By abolishing Title 42 without the necessary staff and resources, the administration will only exacerbate the tensions that have held back progress in reforming our broken immigration system for decades.”
Migrants are arrested by Border Patrol agents on the US-Mexico border on December 7, 2021 in Yuma, Arizona. (John Moore / Getty Images)
Instead, Lee argued that the administration should “focus on taking concrete steps to comprehensively reform our immigration system” and invest in “sound border security, strengthening our legal capacity to process and enforce asylum applications, and ensuring that we treat immigrant families dignity.”
Likewise, Sharice Davids’ representative D-Kan. Expressed reservations about the lifting of the policy and told Fox News Digital that she would like to see a “comprehensive plan” with support from both sides of the transition before the policy is lifted.
“I’m afraid the administration is moving too fast on this,” Davids said. “I’d like to see a more comprehensive plan, preferably with cross-party support, before we lift the restriction.”
Following on from her colleagues, Elaine Luria’s representative D-Va. Said the Biden administration “has no plan” to deal with migrants at the border once the policy is removed.
“The administration currently has no plan and Title 42 should remain in place until the administration presents a comprehensive proposal to address the expected influx of migrants to the southern border,” Luria said in a statement released to Fox News Digital.
In addition, Luria, who is running for re-election to represent Virginia Second Congress District, has called on law enforcement officials working at the border to provide adequate “tools and resources to safeguard our border from any significant policy change.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesman for Senator Michael Bennett, D-Colo., Said the senator, who is running for re-election this year, “voiced the Biden administration’s concerns about ending Title 42 before expected surge on the southern border, which is already undergoing humanitarian crisis.”
Senator Michael Bennet addresses voters at a home party in Manchester, New Hampshire, December 8, 2019 (Reuters / Elizabeth Frantz)
“Bennet believes the administration has failed to come up with a credible plan to ensure the country is prepared for rapid growth,” the spokesman added.
California Democrat Mike Levin has promised to hold Biden “accountable” and called for a “comprehensive plan” to ensure that immigration laws are strictly enforced as the administration works on the hundreds of thousands of migrants who flock to the southern border each month.
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“The Biden administration needs to implement a clear and comprehensive plan to ensure that our immigration laws are enforced, that we have order at the border, and that we do not allow human influx or drug smuggling after the end of the Title 42 order.” Levin told Fox News Digital. “As with the previous administration, I will continue to hold the White House accountable to these priorities.”
MP Stephanie Murphy, the Democratic Republic of Mexico, which announced late last year that she would not be seeking re-election to represent the Sunshine State 7th Congress District, also opposed the revocation of the policy.
“Public health and public safety, not politics, should drive the federal government’s decision when to end Title 42,” Murphy said in a statement this month. The Congresswoman said she thought Title 42 “should only be abolished if we have a comprehensive and properly secured plan that treats asylum seekers decently and humanly, protects our communities, is in line with the US values and does not threaten our national security.”
Maine Democrat Jared Golden, who is seeking re-election and has worked with Texas Republican representative Tony Gonzales to lead efforts to stop the Biden administration abolishing title 42 without already having a plan to deal with the surge in migrant numbers at the border, said that the policy “must not remain permanent” and warned that “Biden must ensure that DHS and its personnel, facilities and processes are ready before withdrawing it.”
“The Biden administration is currently not prepared for a large increase in border crossings,” said Golden. “Ending these Title 42 authorities without a plan to manage the resulting influx of migrants is irresponsible and could create crisis conditions that would be dangerous for both migrants to America and Americans themselves.”
Georgia’s Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock, who won the 2021 special election and is now seeking a full term, also opposes the move. Senator Warnock believes in protecting the humanity of migrants at the border, but before this policy is lifted, the administration should come up with a plan on how to provide our border security with the manpower, infrastructure, humanitarian and legal resources they need to prevent this policy shift from happening worsening of an already dire humanitarian situation, ”a Warnock spokesman said in a statement earlier this month.
Senator Raphael Warnock arrives for weekly lunch dedicated to Democratic Senate politicians on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2021 (Reuters / Evelyn Hockstein)
Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., Also spoke out against the movement, saying the decision to end the policy “will only add to the burden on our broken immigration system.”
“Ending Title 42 is expected to significantly increase migration to the United States and put more pressure on an already broken system,” Tester wrote in an April letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “These problems not only affect the southern border, but also put more strain on those working to secure the northern border.”
Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., described the move as a “terrible decision” and said last week that Title 42 was “essential” in the fight against COVID-19 and controlling migrant flows.
“We already have an unprecedented increase in the number of migrants this year, and the situation will only worsen when the administration ends Title 42 policy,” Manchin said. “We’re never prepared to deal with this influx.”
Arizona Democrat Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly wrote to and spoke to Mayorkas to express their concerns about the abolition of politics without proper planning.
In an interview with Fox News Digital last week, Kelly warned of a “crisis” if the order is completed without careful preparation.
Senator Mark Kelly speaks to CBP staff at the Douglas, Arizona border. (Senator Kelly’s office)
“So picking up a title of 42 with no plan, no extra resources, no bus money or no driver plan and people facilities, that’s going to be a crisis,” Kelly said. “It’s not very humane.”
Senator Maggie Hassan, DN.H., meanwhile, said ending the order “is likely to lead to a wave of immigrants for which the administration does not seem ready.”
Despite a desire to sign letters calling for a change of policy while it was being applied under former President Trump’s administration, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of New Jersey changed her mind.
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“That’s the wrong way to do it, and it will leave the administration unprepared for a surge at the border,” Cortez Masto said in a statement this month. “We should work to repair our immigration system by investing in border security and treating immigrant families with dignity. Instead, the administration runs without a detailed plan.”
Cortez Masto’s comments followed a 2020 letter she signed with several other Congressional Democrats that referred to the policy as the “CDC Asylum Ban.” The letter also stated that the policy was “designed to support an ongoing program to exclude asylum seekers.”
Others, including representatives from Angie Craig, D-Minn and Kim Schrier, D-Wash., Both of whom are seeking re-election, have previously said that there must be a plan to deal with the border crisis prior to the abolition of Title 42.
Craig said we needed “a specific plan to enforce our rights and keep our immigration system clean,” and warned that the absence of such a plan could “accelerate the significant influx of migrants arriving at our southern border, which our current system is simply not prepared to handle.”
Migrants driving north on the highway near San Pedro Sula, Honduras. (Photo AP / Delmer Martinez)
Schrier argued the border “the situation is chaotic, even with the title 42.”
“I firmly believe that the Biden administration should not end Title 42 without a comprehensive plan that provides order and security, ensures security and avoids a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the border,” said Schrier. “What we are doing now at the southern border is not working.”
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Earlier this month, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Said she supported the removal of title 42 “because the COVID count has decreased.” However, according to her spokesman, her position appears to have changed.
“Until there is a plan to put more shoes on the ground and support our law enforcement officers at the border, the head of Demings is not in favor of upgrading to title 42,” the spokesman said.
Of the numerous inquiries posted by Fox News Digital, several members of Congress declined to comment on the topic, which caused serious tension among party members.
In a reply emailed to Fox News Digital, David Carle, Senator Patrick Leahy’s communications director, D-Vt., Declined to address the issue.
