The United States-Mexico border has been chaotic for over a year due to the Biden administration’s progressive policies, and the crisis is about to worsen due to the expected end of Title 42.
Title 42 allows law enforcement to easily remove people who crossed the border illegally using the coronavirus pandemic as cause. But according to CBS News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning on making an announcement on the status of the expulsions this week.
The outlet added that the Department of Homeland Security stated an additional 12,000 to 18,000 migrants could attempt to enter the U.S. illegally if the order is lifted. This would further the burden on Customs and Border Patrol agents, as well as local communities and their law enforcement personnel. As if facilities weren’t overwhelmed and the situation weren’t bad enough already, this additional influx would undoubtedly result in poor living conditions for the people being detained.
Americans are sick and tired of the same story repeating itself, but it appears that the Biden administration is set to make another decision that will make matters worse.
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There have been 838,685 migrant encounters since the start of the 2022 fiscal year in October, and 116,678 individuals were encountered in February alone, which is a 2% increase just from January, according to CBP data.
“February also registered a slight uptick in the number of encounters along the Southwest border, with most individuals arriving from Mexico and the Northern Triangle, and the majority of noncitizens expelled under Title 42,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement on March 15.
Lawmakers who represent border communities are continuing to sound the alarm on the crisis, even though it’s become clear that the White House is unwilling to listen.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) told Border Report that Title 42 is “one of the only effective measures” still in place that allows agents to somewhat manage the flow of migrants.
“As we prepare for spring, traditionally the most active months for border crossings, our agents are stuck in processing centers rather than patrolling, with morale lower than ever,” the congressman warned. “With already record-breaking numbers rolling in, the warmer months threaten to make the border more chaotic than ever before.”
Although the border crisis has largely fallen out of the news cycle, the southwestern United States continues to be strained by the influx of people and the drug trafficking tragedy that goes along with it. While most measures from the CDC related to the pandemic should be gutted at this point, Title 42 should be one of the few restrictions they keep. Even if the public health threat is diminished, the statute gives border agents an inch of breathing room.
The CDC should take Gonzales’s warning seriously, as the humanitarian crisis has no need to continue at the southern border through the spring. Deterrence matters to protect the safety and humanity of border communities, law enforcement, and migrants.
