Democratic Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Democratic Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger sent a letter Tuesday to President Joe Biden’s administration expressing their concern about the border crisis, saying he should delay the decision to lift Title 42.
The letter was sent by the two Democrats to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Susan Rice. In it, the two lawmakers shared reasons why they believe Title 42 should not yet be lifted by the Biden administration, saying they want to avoid a humanitarian and security crisis.
Tile 42 is a public health measure issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rapidly expel migrants on public health grounds. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Rubio Sends Biden Letter Slamming Decision To Pull Title 42, Enforce COVID Policies)
“Given our backgrounds in national security, we know the Executive Branch is accustomed to planning for contingencies, and it is for this reason that we submit to you the below requests for actions to be taken before the administration lifts the Title 42 order, so that we prevent a humanitarian and security crisis,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter obtained first by Fox News.
“We are concerned about how DHS will contend with an increase of people — including children and families — that will more than triple the department’s capacity without ample and robust planning,” the lawmakers added. “And while the administration gave itself two months to prepare, what has been shared with us to date seems like too little, too late — especially when the removal of Title 42 will occur at the same time that a spike in seasonal migration occurs.”
READ THE LETTER HERE:
Spanberger Slotkin Letter to Biden Admin Title 42 by Henry Rodgers on Scribd
Republicans have also expressed concern about the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42. The Daily Caller first obtained a letter spearheaded by Republican Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman and signed by a group of House Republicans calling on Biden to reverse his administration’s decision to lift Title 42 and asking for a briefing from government agencies. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Call On Biden To Keep Title 42 In Place, Call For Briefing From CDC, DHS)
Border agents encountered a record two million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. In fiscal year 2021, they seized $3.31 billion in counterfeit goods, over 319,000 pounds of marijuana, over 190,000 pounds of methamphetamine and over 97,000 pounds of cocaine. (RELATED: Even Democrats Are Speaking Out Against The CDC Ending Title 42)
Other moderate Democrats are speaking out against the decision to end Title 42 such as Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan.
“Ending Title 42 prematurely will likely lead to a migrant surge that the administration does not appear to be ready for. I’ll keep pushing the administration to strengthen border security & look forward to hearing directly from border agents during my upcoming trip to the border,” Hassan tweeted April 1.