U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently joined 47 of his House Republican colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the Title 42 immigration policy that they say helps protect national security.
Title 42 is a policy invoked by the Trump administration that authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to turn away migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico to protect public health during the pandemic. Title 42 was set to end on Dec. 21, but on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted lifting the border restrictions.
“Under Title 42, migrants were expelled at rates 40 percent or higher for nearly every month in FY22, which considerably alleviated congestion along our borders,” the lawmakers wrote in a Dec. 15 letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. They added that as the policy approaches its deadline “… it is no surprise that illegal crossings are skyrocketing.”
This week the El Paso Border Patrol Sector faced an average of more than 2,400 migrants in the span of 24 hours, the letter stated.
Rep. McCaul and his colleagues noted that DHS has ended successful border security measures such as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and also has limited the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport illegal immigrants.
“In the absence of these enforcement tools, Title 42 has served as the last effective deterrent against illegal border crossings. Without it, federal, state, and local law enforcement will be stretched beyond their limits, and threats to our national security will inevitably multiply,” the lawmakers wrote.
Members that joined Rep. McCaul in signing the letter include U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), David Valadao (R-CA), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Blake Moore (R-UT), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Young Kim (R-CA), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), and John Moolenaar (R-MI), among others.