As the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks increasingly likely to repeal Title 42, the COVID-19 rule that allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deny entry to immigrants at the southern border, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wants to know the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') plan.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Thursday, Scott and 13 other Republican senators demanded Mayorkas provide information on the department's preparations and plans to stem the expected influx of thousands of migrants and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is potentially planning to lift its Title 42 public health policy that enabled the immediate expulsion of immigrants caught illegally entering the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic," the letter reads.
"This policy served as an effective deterrent to illegal border crossings by removing the prospect of an illegal alien being permitted to remain in and move freely throughout the United States pending the outcome of immigration proceedings."
The senators' letter continues by stating that there are reports of thousands of migrants waiting just south of the border in Mexico to cross over once Title 42 has been rescinded.
"Obviously, this is a grave concern that threatens to overwhelm our already strained immigration system and will only exacerbate a disastrous situation at our southern border," the senators write.
Border authorities have been relying on Title 42 to turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border since March 2020.
Democrats and immigrant advocates have pressed President Joe Biden to end the policy, saying that it unfairly prevents migrants from making legitimate asylum claims.
Three senior CBP officials and a Border Patrol union leader told the Washington Examiner that the expectation at the agency is that the CDC will not renew Title 42 when it expires on April 20.
"I'm certain the decision has been made by CDC and talks are taking place between agencies to figure out how to announce it and be prepared for the further invasion on the [southwest] border," a senior CBP official wrote in a text to the Examiner Wednesday, referencing internal discussions.
In just one year under the Biden administration's immigration policies, illegal border crossings "soared to all-time highs," according to the GOP senators.
In 2021 alone, CBP reported 2 million encounters with immigrants illegally crossing the southern border — the highest number ever recorded in a single year.
"CBP reports that it encountered 154,745 aliens in January 2022 and 164,973 aliens in February 2022, representing a startling 63% increase from February 2021," the senators said. "This administration's open border policies are fueling deadly criminal activity and horrific abuses by the barbaric cartels facilitating those illegal border crossings, including reports of sex trafficking, torture and forced labor."
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