Four Democratic senators are urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to reconsider its preparations for the end of Title 42, a major Trump-era policy used to expel certain illegal migrants.
Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Mark Kelly of Arizona, John Tester of Montana and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire argued that the Biden administration isn’t prepared for the surge of illegal migrants expected at the border when the policy ends, according to a Nov. 18 letter sent to Mayorkas. A federal judge ruled on Nov. 15 that the Biden administration must end Title 42, which has resulted in the expulsion of more than 2 million illegal migrants, on Dec. 21. (RELATED: Designating The Cartels As Terrorists Could Worsen Illegal Immigration, Experts Say)
The Biden administration has seen record numbers of illegal migrants entering the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered more than 2.3 million migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 and upwards of 230,000 migrants in October, both at the southern border.
“Since the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the Public Health Determination and terminated the Title 42 Order on April 1, 2022, we have expressed concern with DHS’ preparations for the end of Title 42, especially as the situation has deteriorated at times,” the senators wrote.
(Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“Record annual encounters have led to untenable situations. In Arizona, shelters have been forced well beyond capacity. This month, El Paso has seen over 700 migrants released directly onto city streets due to overcrowding. This is not safe, and creates a dangerous situation for migrants and communities,” they added.
The CDC attempted in April to end the policy on May 23. At the time, the Democratic senators raised similar concerns, and a federal judge later struck it down after several Republican states sued.
DHS declined to comment to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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