More vulnerable Democrats, representing red states and swing states, are coming out against President Joe Biden’s plans to end Title 42 — a border control that has stemmed waves of illegal immigration over the last two years.
Late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Biden would end Title 42 on May 23. The broad public health authority, which serves as a border control measure, allows federal immigration officials to quickly return border crossers and illegal aliens to their native countries.
Biden officials admit that lifting Title 42 is likely to bring a massive influx of border crossers and illegal aliens to the border, with potentially 500,000 arriving at the border every month — more than doubling current illegal immigration levels.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), facing re-election in 2024, warned that ending Title 42 is almost certain to spur a “significant increase” in illegal immigration in a letter to Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Ending this policy without sufficient preparation risks undermining our national security … ending Title 42 is expected to cause a significant increase of migration to the United States and put more pressure on an already broken system,” Tester wrote.
“These problems do not only affect the southern border but put more strain on those working to secure the northern border as well … we should not end this policy without ample preparation,” he continued.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), facing a challenge from Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, said in a statement on Tuesday that it “is not the right time” to end Title 42 ,as Biden set a new record for illegal immigration with more than 209,000 apprehensions in March, alone.
“I think this is not the right time and we have not seen a detailed plan from the administration,” Warnock said. “We need assurances that we have security at the border and that we protect communities on this side of the border. I think this is the wrong time and I haven’t seen a plan that gives me comfort.”
Democrat opposition to ending Title 42 has been echoed by former President Obama’s DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, who told Fox News on Tuesday that current illegal immigration levels are unsustainable.
“It overwhelms the communities in Texas and Arizona that have to absorb this population,” Johnson said.
“So, the lifting of Title 42, I’m sure that news is circulating right now in Central America,” Johnson continued. “If I had had my druthers, and I don’t, I would have argued, can we lift this perhaps later in the summer when it gets hotter and the numbers do slow down? We’re right now in the peak season.”
Tester and Warnock are only the latest Democrats to voice their opposition to Biden’s ending Title 42 ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) have all urged Biden to reverse the decision.
“Title 42 has been an essential tool in combatting the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border,” Manchin said. “We are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants this year and that will only get worse if the administration ends the Title 42 policy.”
Biden’s own agency officials, though, have conceded that more illegal immigration is on its way with plans to end Title 42. This week, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus said the move will certainly “increase” illegal immigration.
The states of Arizona, Louisiana, and Missouri have since filed a lawsuit to block Biden’s termination of Title 42.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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