Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy called out Democrats supporting Title 42’s end while fearing emerging COVID-19 variants.
During a House Judiciary Committee markup Wednesday of legislation dubbed the “Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act,” Roy slammed his Democratic colleagues who feared the virus’ new forms, but supported the decision to end Title 42, a public health order.
Title 42, a Trump-era order, was put in place in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and has resulted in the expulsions of over 1.7 million migrants, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that the order will end May 23.
“First of all, the gentlelady from Texas [Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee] refers to the supposed concern and fear that she has about the Omicron variant coming in April,” Roy said. “Then, on what basis is the CDC recommending that they end Title 42? … If this is such a great concern, then why would the CDC say ‘oh no, we don’t need to use Title 42 to protect our Border Patrol agents, protect Americans, stem the tide of 8,000 people a day coming across our border.”
Jackson Lee’s earlier comments were referring to Republican lawmakers’ hold up a COVID relief bill over Title 42, saying the decision is up to the CDC and not Congress, Yahoo News reported.
Roy accused Jackson Lee of “mocking” her colleagues, who want to keep Title 42 in place. He also emphasized that abandoning Title 42 would allow for other contagious diseases to spread and would spell illegal activities along the border.
He then asked if committee chairman Jerry Nadler had ever visited the Texas border. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: My Night At The Border With ‘Operation Lone Star’ In Texas)
Nadler responded that he had been to the border in Texas.
“And what did you find? No stash houses? The chairman scoffed. Is the chairman saying there are no stash houses, no little girls getting raped in Texas?” Roy replied.
Nadler said that he wasn’t denying the existence of stash houses or rapes of young girls. “I am not saying there are no stash houses, I’m not saying little girls are not being raped in Texas and in every other state in the union for that matter,” Nadler said.
WATCH:
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.