'A Frightening Decision': Sen. Manchin Rips Biden's Repeal of Title 42

Sen. Joe Manchin D-W.Va., ripped President Joe Biden's move to rescind the Title 42 border policy on Friday, saying the "frightening decision" would increase the number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border over the next few months.

"Title 42 has been an essential tool in combatting the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border," said Manchin. "We are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants this year, and that will only get worse if the [Biden] administration ends the Title 42 policy."

According to CBS News, more than half of the 2 million migrant apprehensions recorded along the southern border in 2021 prompted Title 42 expulsions. The record number of arrests was partly driven by an inordinately high rate of migrant adults "crossing the border multiple times after being expelled to northern Mexico."

In a report from The Hill, Manchin's office points to U.S. border patrol officers having 838,000 migrant encounters at the southern border from January to March 2022, suggesting the 2021 figure of 2 million migrant apprehensions will easily be topped by the end of this year.

"We are nowhere near prepared to deal with that influx," Manchin said. "Until we have comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform that commits to securing our borders and providing a pathway to citizenship for qualified immigrants, Title 42 must stay in place."

Manchin isn't the only Democrat criticizing the Biden administration's decision to repeal Title 42.

"Ending Title 42 prematurely will likely lead to a migrant surge that the administration does not appear to be ready for," said Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., on Friday, via Twitter. "I'll keep pushing the administration to strengthen border security & look forward to hearing directly from border agents during my upcoming trip to the border."

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented the Title 42 health order under former President Donald Trump.

But now, the agency deems it "no longer necessary" to enforce the order at the southern border, given the increased access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic drugs, according to The Hill.

• Title 42 Expiring April 1, US Border Agents Told in Briefing
• Biden Administration to Begin Vaccinating Migrants at Southern Border