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Several Democrats joined a half-dozen Republicans to co-sponsor a bill to bar the Biden administration from ending Title 42, the Trump-era rule that allowed for quick deportation of illegal migrants during the pandemic.
The legislative effort comes as the administration and various Department of Homeland Security border and immigration agencies are expecting tens of thousands of migrants to try and cross into the U.S. after the rule formally ends May 23 in what has been called a “mass migration event.”
Biden’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week it was rescinding the rule, despite pleas from Democratic and Republican lawmakers to keep it in place. Now, the Biden administration is facing new, bipartisan pushback as a group of Democratic and Republican senators have joined forces to demand the White House reverse course.
The Daily Wire reports:
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ.) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) led a group of five Democratic and six Republican senators in introducing a bill Thursday to block the Biden administration from ending Title 42, which allows border enforcement to turn away migrants at the southern border over COVID-19 concerns.
Lawmakers say that ending the policy, as the Biden administration plans to do in late May, will leave border communities unprotected, as well as result in a massive influx of migrants that the U.S. government is not prepared to manage.“
“Arizona communities bear the brunt of the federal government’s failure at our border, so we’re stepping in and protecting border communities by ensuring the Administration works hand-in-hand with local leaders, law enforcement, and non-profits to put a comprehensive, workable plan in place before lifting Title 42,” Sinema said in a statement.
Lankford added: “The Biden Administration is declaring the pandemic over on our southern border but still active on our healthcare workers, military, and travelers. Department of Homeland Security intel projections show that potentially a million people will illegally cross the moment Title 42 is lifted.”
“But instead of a workable replacement plan, the only plan the Biden Administration seems to have is moving people faster into the interior of the country,” he noted further.
“They cannot have it both ways. If they think it’s safe enough to lift Title 42 at the border, then it must be safe enough to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency on the whole country,” he said. “But when we drop Title 42 at the border, DHS must also implement a workable solution to expel migrants.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) has also blasted the administration’s decision to end the rule.
“Today’s announcement by the CDC and the Biden Administration is a frightening decision,” he said last week. “Title 42 has been an essential tool in combatting the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border.
“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,” the moderate Democrat noted further. “We are nowhere near prepared to deal with that influx. Until we have comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform that commits to securing our borders and providing a pathway to citizenship for qualified immigrants, Title 42 must stay in place.”
Earlier, Sinema was joined by Arizona’s other Democratic senator, Mark Kelly, in a letter to Biden asking him to change his mind.
“Prematurely ending Title 42 without a comprehensive, workable plan would put at risk the health and safety of Arizona communities and migrants. Today’s decision to announce an end to Title 42 despite not yet having a comprehensive plan ready shows a lack of understanding about the crisis at our border,” Sinema noted in a statement.
“This is the wrong decision. It’s unacceptable to end Title 42 without a plan and coordination in place to ensure a secure, orderly, and humane process at the border,” Kelly added.
“From my numerous visits to the southern border and conversations with Arizona’s law enforcement, community leaders, mayors, and non-profits, it’s clear that this administration’s lack of a plan to deal with this crisis will further strain our border communities,” he said.
