In a recent press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be visiting the southern border ahead of what’s expected to be a major surge of immigrants trying to cross into the U.S. illegally this May.
On May 4-5th, Mayorkas will travel to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to meet with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to review plans on how the Biden administration plans on dealing with the upcoming expiration of the Trump-era Title 42 public health order. In the press release, Mayorkas “will also meet with the DHS workforce, local officials, law enforcement partners, and stakeholders.”
During the Trump administration, Title 42 was enacted in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 which enabled law enforcement to deport illegal immigrants quickly back to their home countries. As the public health emergency now fades into the past, Title 42 is expiring and officials expect a surge of illegal immigration in the coming weeks.
“While the Administration has attempted to terminate the Title 42 policy and continues to support an orderly lifting of those restrictions, Title 42 remains in place because of orders issued by the Supreme Court and a district court in Louisiana,” read the memo. “Enactment of H.R. 382 would lift Title 42 immediately, and result in a substantial additional inflow of migrants at the Southwest border.”
On Monday, the city of El Paso, Texas shockingly issued a state of emergency declaration in order to begin preparations for what they expect to be unprecedented levels of illegal border crossings. The Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser addressed this crisis during a press conference on Sunday where he declared the city must be prepared for any “unknown” issues which may include shelter resources, housing and staffers.
On Tuesday, the White House agreed to accept migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela that have been deported after the expiration of Title 42. The Biden administration is touting their new plan put forth by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Mayorkas which would supposedly increase penalties for any illegal border crossings and create more legal ways of entering the United States in various South American countries in hopes of preventing migrants from making the long journey to the souther U.S. border.
“We are building lawful pathways for people to come to the United States without resorting to the smugglers. At the same time, we are imposing consequences on those who do not use those pathways,” Mayorkas said in a press conference.