Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs might or might not have an opinion on whether lifting Title 42 would wreak havoc at the southern border.
On April 3, Hobbs argued that “Title 42 isn’t working” on Arizona Family’s “Politics Unplugged.” But then she was quoted in a CNN article calling the Biden administration’s reversal a “rash decision,” Arizona Mirror’s Dillon Rosenblatt tweeted Monday.
Katie Hobbs is already walking back her stance on Title 42 being lifted next month.
-On April 3 she went on Politics Unplugged to say "Title 42 isn't working" when asked if Biden made the right decision to end it May 23.
-On April 23, she told CNN, Biden made a "rash decision."— Dillon Rosenblatt (@DillonReedRose) April 25, 2022
CNN political reporter Eric Bradner shared a screenshot of the article he wrote, saying he “used the direct portion of her answer.”
The Hobbs campaign did not appreciate the partial quote, as outright condemnation of the Biden White House would not be popular among some Democratic primary voters in her upcoming election.
Rosenblatt subsequently shared the full quote that Hobbs apparently used when speaking with CNN.
“Title 42 isn’t working, as evidenced by the fact that border crossings in Arizona have continued to increase since this policy was put in place, but lifting Title 42 without a clear plan to secure our border would be a disaster. I urge the Biden administration to reverse this rash decision and finally commit the necessary resources to end the chaos at our border.”
Update: Hobbs campaign tells me CNN didn't use her full quote which was intended to provide clarity to her April 3 response. "Title 42 isn't working, as evidenced by the fact that border crossings in Arizona have continued to increase since this policy was put in place (cont) https://t.co/BBZKxhUFIF
— Dillon Rosenblatt (@DillonReedRose) April 25, 2022
This newfound fuller, more nuanced statement should be taken with a grain of salt. However, assuming it is the full quote, it still doesn’t give Hobbs cover for completely failing to criticize the Biden administration decision during her April 3 appearance. The ending of the coronavirus-related health order, which is one of the few Trump-era border security measures still around, is bound to make the flood of migrants arriving at the border even worse.
And Hobbs is still doing herself a disservice, because it’s unclear what a “clear plan” to secure the border would look like without establishing something extremely similar to or stricter than Title 42. Fellow Arizona Democrats such as Sens. Krysten Sinema and Mark Kelly have advocated against its swift repeal, and even released a joint statement on April 1, lambasting Biden’s decision.
Related: Manchin: Ending Title 42 Border Protections a ‘Frightening Decision’
Gubernatorial candidate Hobbs should have the courage to take a clear stance on the controversial issue, especially due to its prevalence in border communities. There should be little room for doubt about a candidate’s position on the border during this ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis.
Hobbs’s rebuke of the Biden administration is too little, too late. As the Washington Free Beacon noted, Arizonans deserved a more complete statement on the topic weeks ago, not just when it became politically safe.
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