Jeh Johnson: Border Numbers ‘Unsustainable,’ and Title 42 Is ‘A Way to Keep the Numbers Down’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson stated that the numbers of encounters at the southern border are “pretty high” and “very, very large numbers. They’re unsustainable,” and that Title 42 is a way to keep those numbers down. Johnson also said that, during his tenure as DHS Secretary, when the numbers were about a quarter of what they are now, “that, politically, felt like the world was coming to an end.”

Johnson said, “So, the border is a tough issue. I am waiting to see when and if they drop Title 42 for the southern border. It is, frankly, a way to keep the numbers down, although these numbers are pretty high. Just for perspective…typically, the largest months are March, April, and we’re surging right now. Just for perspective, we’re about to hit 1 million in six months. My highest year was 468,000 in the entire year, and that, politically, felt like the world was coming to an end. So, these are very, very large numbers. They’re unsustainable, in my view.”

He added that if the Biden administration decides to scrap Title 42, “then the public health debate may move to the southern border.”

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