News/Commentary

Crickets from WH as Trump-era Title 42 immigration policy to expire, expected to worsen border crisis

December 17, 2022 | | Print Article

Barring another appeal, the restrictions responsible for keeping hundreds of thousands of asylum-seeking migrants from swarming over the U.S. border with Mexico will be lifted next week following a Friday ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Title 42, a Trump-era policy that, since March 2020, has prevented 2.5 million migrants from seeking asylum under U.S. and international law due to COVID-19, will expire on Wednesday, and the immigration rules will revert back to the pre-pandemic process.


(Video: Fox News)

As already overwhelmed cities and border towns across the nation brace themselves for what will certainly be a flood of new migrants, the White House is still insisting that everything is fine, and if you disagree, you’re clearly a misinformation-spreading human trafficker.

“To be clear: the lifting of the Title 42 public health order does not mean the border is open. Anyone who suggests otherwise is doing the work of smugglers spreading misinformation to make a quick buck off of vulnerable migrants,” White House Assistant Press Sec. Abdullah Hasan told Fox News Digital.

“We will continue to fully enforce our immigration laws and work to expand legal pathways for migration while discouraging disorderly and unsafe migration,” he continued. “We have a robust effort underway to manage the border in a safe, orderly, and humane way when Title 42 lifts as required by court order.”

“Instead of playing political games,” Hasan added, “Republican officials should provide the funding the President requested for border security and management, and pass the comprehensive immigration reform measures he proposed so we can finally have a modernized immigration system that works.”

Meanwhile, in Tijuana, Mexico’s largest border city, the director of migrant affairs, Enrique Lucero, said there are roughly 5,000 would-be Americans in more than 30 shelters just waiting for Title 42 to expire so they can freely wander into the States and claim asylum.

As the Biden administration admits that lifting Title 42 will trigger a tsunami of new migrants entering our already struggling country, nearly 20 red states are fighting to keep the restrictions in place, as cities such as El Paso, Texas, can’t keep up with migrant housing needs.

While Republicans argue that Title 42 is keeping asylum exploitation under some semblance of control, opponents to the restrictions say the COVID vaccines and waning global pandemic negate the need for Title 42, which was put in place as a health control measure. For them, this now is a humanitarian issue.

 

Last month, a judge agreed and set Wednesday, Dec. 21, as the federal government’s deadline to do away with the policy.

On Friday night, a three-judge panel determined that the Republican-led states waited too long to appeal the deadline and upheld last month’s ruling.

According to Louisiana’s Attorney General Jeffrey Landry, the Republican coalition will file an appeal to the disappointing decision to the Supreme Court.

All nationalities are covered under Title 42, including Guatemalans, Hondurans, El Salvadorans, Venezuelans, and Mexicans.

Fox News Digital offers these concerning statistics:

According to a Justice Department court filing released Friday, Border Patrol agents stopped single adults 143,903 times along the Mexican border in November, down 9% from 158,639 times in October.

Mexican single adults were stopped 43,504 times, down from 56,088 times in October.

Nicaraguan adults were stopped 27,369 times, up from 16,497.

Cuban adults were stopped 24,690 times by Border Patrol agents in November, up from 20,744.

Venezuelan single adults were stopped 3,513 times, plunging from 14,697.

 

While the Biden administration has thus far failed to explain how it intends to deal with the impending influx of new migrants, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has plenty to say about the end of Title 42.

“Today, I toured the increased assets Texas has deployed at our border ahead of Title 42 ending,” he tweeted on Friday.

“While Biden abandons his duty to defend America,” he continued, “Texas is taking unprecedented action to decrease the influx of dangerous criminals, illegal weapons, & deadly drugs into the U.S.”

“I joined #OperationLoneStar agency leaders for a briefing in Del Rio today as they prepare for President Biden’s reckless decision to end Title 42 expulsions next week,” he stated in a separate tweet. “Texas stands ready to respond to the expected spike in illegal crossings & protect our nation.”

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles