Gary Peters in 2021 Opposed Keeping Title 42 over ‘Security and Humanitarian Concerns’

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who recently criticized the Joe Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42, voted against an amendment that would preserve the powerful border control tool.

Peters —  the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — recently made waves when he chided the Biden administration for its decision to end Title 42, a public health authority that allows the federal government to easily deport illegal aliens and border crossers. He became the ninth Senate Democrat to slam the Biden administration.

“Unless we have a well-thought-out plan, I think it is something that should be revisited and perhaps delayed. I’m going to defer judgment on that until I give the administration the opportunity to fully articulate what that plan is. But I share … concerns of some of my colleagues,” Peters said on Monday.

However, Peters’s rhetoric does not appear to match his voting record.

In August 2021, Peters voted against an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), to a government funding bill that would “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security, pursuant to Title 42, United States Code, conducts expulsions of illegal immigrants who may contribute to the spread of COVID-19, including any of the dangerous variants originating overseas, in order to protect the public health of the American People, save American lives, and assist in eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.”

On the Senate floor, Peters said he opposed an indefinite extension of Title 42 over “security and humanitarian concerns:”

Mr. President, the Biden administration inherited both the COVID-19 public health crisis and the dismantling of the immigration system from the previous administration. This amendment would tie the Biden administration’s hands in addressing arrivals at our southern border. It would prevent adapting to changes in public health needs and making security-based decisions related to protecting our homeland. Forcing the indefinite preservation of title 42 authorities raises both security and humanitarian concerns. This would prevent the imposition of the consequence-delivery system that cracks down on individuals who attempt to cross the border repeatedly. We should not have to expel the same person for illegally crossing the border six or seven times. We need to expel them once and use tools like removal and prosecution to limit their ability to keep crossing the border illegally. This amendment also reduces the administration’s ability to appropriately care for unaccompanied minors.

He added, “We need to ensure that the administration has every tool at their disposal as they work to tackle the pandemic and keep our Nation secure. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment.”