President Biden conceded on Tuesday that the looming migrant surge at the southern border will be “chaotic for a while” after the Title 42 border policy ends later this week.
Biden, 80, made the stunning admission that he’s not sure the US is prepared for the expected flood of migrants during a press conference that took place after he met with congressional leaders about the debt ceiling.
“I spent close to an hour with the Mexican president today. We’re doing all we can. The answer is it remains to be seen,” Biden said when asked if the US is ready for the influx of migrants arriving from Mexico.
“We’ve gotten overwhelming cooperation from Mexico. We also are in the process of setting up offices in Colombia and other places where you could – or someone seeking asylum can go first. So, it remains to be seen. It’s going to be chaotic for a while,” the president admitted.
The pandemic-era Title 42, which allowed law enforcement authorities to swiftly deport migrants apprehended crossing the border, comes to an end on Thursday along with the Covid-19 pandemic public health emergency.
Biden said Tuesday that “it remains to be seen” whether the US is prepared for the migrant surge after the end of Title 42 on May 11. Getty ImagesThe White House revealed in late January that the public health emergency would end this week and argued that it needed time to get the “necessary policies in place” to deal with the influx of migrants that would come with Title 42 being terminated.
“The Administration supports an orderly, predictable wind-down of Title 42, with sufficient time to put alternative policies in place. But if H.R. 382 becomes law and the Title 42 restrictions end precipitously, Congress will effectively be requiring the Administration to allow thousands of migrants per day into the country immediately without the necessary policies in place,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement in January, arguing against a Republican bill to end the public health emergency immediately.
Migrants cross the Rio Bravo on a mattress into the United States from Matamoros, Mexico, on May 9, 2023. AP
Title 42 allowed law enforcement to quickly deport migrants seeking asylum in the US. REUTERSAlready, some 80,000 South American migrants are amassed in Guatemala and planning to head for the US-Mexico border, sources tell The Post, threatening to overwhelm US Customs and Border Protection agents by handing themselves over by the thousands daily ahead of May 11.
In El Paso — the busiest border crossing in the US — migrants have set up tents just feet from where they plan to surrender themselves to US officials after May 11.
What is Title 42 and what does its end mean for US border immigration?
What is Title 42?
Title 42 is a federal health measure enforced by the US Border Patrol. It allows the agency to kick certain migrants out of the US and return them to Mexico. This includes asylum seekers, who under international law have the legal right to make an asylum claim in America.
Currently, migrants who cross the border illegally and who are from Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua or Venezuela are subject to Title 42 and could be sent to Mexico.
How did Title 42 start?
President Donald Trump invoked the law in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue the policy. The Trump administration made the case that keeping migrants out of the country would slow down the spread of infections and maintain the safety of federal agents encountering migrants.
What has happened with Title 42 under Biden?
When President Biden took over, he continued to enforce Title 42 with one important change from his predecessor. Biden said Border Patrol agents were only allowed to expel migrants from certain countries under his direction. That meant migrants seeking asylum from countries like Cuba and Venezuela could still seek asylum if they arrived at the border and stay in the US while their cases were decided in court — unless they had a criminal record.
What is happening with Title 42 now?
Title 42 is supposed to be a health policy, not an immigration law. It will end at 11:59 p.m. May 11, when the Biden administration ends all COVID-19-related policies.
Why is it controversial?
Many have called for the policy’s end, saying it’s illegal and that international law guarantees people the right to seek asylum.
Others, like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, warn that the southern border could see up to 13,000 migrants per day crossing with the intention to stay in the country when the measure ends.
What would the end of Title 42 mean for immigration into the US?
It’s unclear exactly how many people have been expelled under Title 42 because there have been scores of people who have attempted to enter the country numerous times and been rejected again and again, but the US Border Patrol said it made an all-time high of more than 2.3 million arrests at the border in the last fiscal year. Forty percent of people who were expelled from the country were ejected under the rules of Title 42.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott accused the Biden administration on Monday of “laying down a welcome mat to people across the entire world, saying that the United States border is wide open.”
Migrants turn themselves in for processing after crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border at the Rio Grande River on May 9, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. New York Post
The Biden administration will send some 1,500 troops to the border for the next 90 days because of the end of Title 42. REUTERSThe White House announced last week that it’s sending 1,500 troops to the border for the next 90 days – though only to perform administrative tasks – with the end of Title 42 nearing.
