Report: Biden's decision to end Title 42 gains its most notable detractor, foreshadows another major border surge



President Joe Biden's decision to end Title 42 — a Trump-era rule allowing border agents to turn away illegal immigrants over COVID-19 health concerns — has been one of the most unpopular of his presidency, arousing concerns from both sides of the political aisle amid the country's ongoing border crisis.

Last week, open-borders Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, feeling pressure from constituents, turned on the president over the controversial move.

Now, even Biden's own Department of Homeland Security chief is venting frustrations over the president's plan, according to a new report from Axios.

The outlet reported Friday that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has privately told members of Congress that he is upset with the administration's handling of the policy and anticipates its ending will trigger another increase in migrant encounters at the nation's beleaguered southern border.

After all, it is the secretary who is ultimately charged with protecting the border and overseeing the repeal of the policy, Axios noted.

In a statement to the outlet, DHS spokesperson Marsha Espinosa shied away from offering public criticism, saying only that "as Secretary Mayorkas has said repeatedly, Title 42 is a public health authority — not an immigration authority — and he defers to the public health experts at the CDC for any decisions related to it."

But she added: "As he has also repeatedly said, we anticipate an increase in migrant encounters after the lifting of Title 42, and he is leading a whole-of-government response to apprehend, process and remove from the country those who are not eligible for relief."

The White House, on the other hand, offered a much rosier outlook on the rollout.

"DHS has a plan and we’re working to implement it, and we will continue to work with Congress to implement the lifting of Title 42 in an as orderly and humane way as possible," an official said.

Mayorkas, too, has insisted at the least that there is a plan — something many remain doubtful about. But he has been careful not to divulge the details of that plan publicly, noting that adversarial actors would certainly take advantage of the information.

"I think we have to be very mindful of the fact that we are addressing enemies, and those enemies are the cartels and the smugglers, and I will not provide our plans to them. We are going to proceed with our execution, carefully, methodically, in anticipating different scenarios," he told CNN this week.

However, given the administration's botched handling of the current immigration crisis, it is reasonable to assume that whatever the plan is, it won't be enough to stem the tide of migrants rushing into the country in anticipation of lenient treatment.

In Fiscal Year 2022, border agents have already encountered more than 1 million illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

DHS secretary to migrants amid border crisis: Don't come now ... come later



Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued an urgent plea on Tuesday to the scores of migrants surging into the country across the U.S.-Mexico border: Don't come now, but wait a while and then come later.

The secretary's mixed message comes as unprecedented numbers of migrants continue to illegally enter the country in hopes of receiving more lenient treatment from the Biden administration. Mayorkas himself acknowledged earlier Tuesday that the U.S. government is "on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years," though he still refused to characterize the situation as a crisis.

"We are building the capacity to address the needs of [unaccompanied migrant] children when they arrive but we are also, and critically, sending an important message that now is not the time to come to the border," Moyorkas said Tuesday during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"Give us time," he continued, "to build an orderly, safe way to arrive in the United States and make the claims that the law permits you to make."

The remarkable statement appeared to befuddle host George Stephanopoulos, who noted, "You've been saying, 'Don't come now,' but that message does not appear to be getting through ... does the message have to be, 'Don't come, period'?"

Mayorkas responded by reiterating the message, though this time casting blame on the administration of former President Donald Trump.

"Do not come now," he said. "Give us time to rebuild the system that was entirely dismantled in the prior administration."

Homeland Security Secretary speaks on growing border crisis l GMAyoutu.be

In characterizing his message as one of humanitarian concern, Mayorkas told a story during the interview about three young children, each under the age of 10, who were permitted entry into the country but whose mother died along the way. The secretary pleaded with potential migrants not to make the "dangerous journey" until a later time.

But it's not only the journey itself that is dangerous, but the lack of preparedness by the Biden administration to handle the rapid influx. Even as Mayorkas spoke, thousands of migrant children experienced the harsh conditions of being cooped up in cage-like cells, many having to take turns sleeping on the floor and go without showering for days.

Surge facilities designed to house minors who cross the border without their parents or a legal guardian are already operating above capacity, and things aren't expected to slow down any time soon.

It remains to be seen if the Biden administration's "wait until later" message succeeds in slowing down the historic surge. But given the fact that the administration has been articulating exactly that for weeks to no avail, it's not likely.