Democrats press Homeland Security to prep for end of Title 42
A trio of Hispanic House Democrats is pushing the Biden administration to do more to prepare for the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy which has allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Why it matters: It’s another sign of the complicated intra-party dynamics on the topic of immigration, with many Democrats applauding the end of the pandemic policy — while also raising concerns about the expected influx in border crossings.
- News last month that the Biden administration was considering restarting family migrant detentions at the border inflamed relations between some Hispanic Democrats and the White House.
Driving the news: In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Chuy García (D-Ill.) wrote that DHS should be "prepared to expeditiously and humanely process and care for these individuals after Title 42 is terminated."
- "We hope you will continue to work with Congress to ensure the Department has the resources, tools, and support it needs to treat all migrants with dignity and respect," they wrote.
By the numbers: Border crossings have been at historically high levels for the past two years.
- New policies targeting Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians led to a significant decline of illegal crossings in January.
- Still, border crossings ticked up by 25% from February to March, according to newly released agency data.
- Title 42 has been used to rapidly expel migrants and asylum seekers nearly 2.8 million times.
What we're watching: Mayorkas is slated to testify to the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday about his department's 2024 budget request.
By:
Andrew Solender and Stef W. Kight
Source:
Axios
Next Article Previous Article