Title 42 ends: Democrats split on handling of immigration after expiration of border policy
Asher Notheis
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Democrats are divided among each other over how the United States should move forward after the Title 42 immigration policy has expired.
Democratic response to the end of the border policy has been mixed, as Democratic mayors and congressional members have asked for additional federal support for their cities and districts, while some members of the party have blasted President Joe Biden’s lack of preparation for the policy’s end.
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“It’s a tough issue because it’s a complex issue,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX). “We want to talk about the multifaceted approach that it takes to address this.”
Title 42 was enacted in March 2020 under former President Donald Trump as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy officially expired on May 11 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
The division among Democrats comes as a Title 42 replacement plan by President Joe Biden, who had criticized the policy during his 2020 election campaign, includes a rule that would make immigrants who do not apply for protection on their way to the Southern border ineligible for asylum within the U.S. The replacement plan has been criticized by members of Biden’s own party.
“The transit ban is a problem,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY). “The traditional asylum-seeking model should not be altered or mutilated with these new policies.”
Some Democrats have sided with Republicans in criticizing the president’s handling of the border, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) being one of them. In a statement on Thursday, Manchin depicted the Biden administration’s two years of planning for this day as a failure that would be fully realized in the coming days.
“While I do not support every provision, Republicans in the House of Representatives are at least working on a border security bill to fill the leadership vacuum created by this Administration,” said Manchin. “Our country cannot maintain our superpower status if we cannot control our own border.”
Ahead of Title 42’s expiration, Manchin called for the passing of a bipartisan solution that he introduced last week alongside Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jon Tester (D-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill these eight senators are sponsoring, Senate Bill 1473, will “authorize the immediate expulsion of inadmissible aliens attempting to enter the United States by fraud or without a necessary entry document, and for other purposes.”
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who earlier this year announced his candidacy for Sinema’s Senate seat, also recently urged the Biden administration to ramp up resources for border communities and boost transparency.
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“I’ve heard directly from leaders in our border communities, and it’s abundantly clear that they, through no fault of their own, are simply unequipped to handle the surge of migrants that are expected when Title 42 ends,” Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said in a statement released with a letter to Biden on the policy. “With Title 42 set to end on May 11, we need the Biden administration to act, and to act fast.”
Several major Democratic cities, including New York City, Chicago, and Washington D.C., have had to grapple with buses that have been sent from Texas carrying dozens of migrants. On Thursday, a bus carrying 30 immigrants from Texas arrived at Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence mere hours before Title 42 expired.