Republicans and Democrats Both Want to Keep Policy in Place
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) joined Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and Texas delegation members to send a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urging that Title 42, an important authority that allows DHS to expel migrants who have entered the country illegally, remain in place until the historic level of migrant crossings at the southern border is brought down through appropriate deterrent measures.
“We understand that this legal authority is temporary and tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency, but DHS appears unprepared to handle a likely unprecedented increase in apprehensions along the southwest border,” they wrote.
“At the current levels of cross-border migration, DHS currently lacks adequate capacity to process and detain all migrants apprehended along the southwest border… Furthermore, small border communities lack the appropriate housing, transportation, and healthcare infrastructure to manage the ongoing release of migrant populations into their jurisdictions.”
“We urge that the CDC’s Title 42 order remain in place and that DHS continue to use it until such time as the number of apprehensions along the southwest border drops to a manageable level.”
Representatives Kay Granger (TX-12), Michael McCaul (TX-10), Kevin Brady (TX-08), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), John Carter (TX-31), Brian Babin (TX-36), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), August Pfluger (TX-11), Randy Weber (TX-14), Pete Sessions (TX-17), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Michael C. Burgess (TX-26), Van Taylor (TX-03), Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Lance Gooden (TX-05), Roger Williams (TX-25), Pat Fallon (TX-04), and Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) also signed the letter.
Full text of letter can be found here.