Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will travel to the southern border ahead of an expected migrant surge in early May, the department confirmed in a press release sent to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Mayorkas will visit the Rio Grande Valley in Texas on May 4-5 to go over plans from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before the Title 42 public health order is lifted on May 11, the press release read. He “will also meet with the DHS workforce, local officials, law enforcement partners, and stakeholders.” (RELATED: ‘Brace For F*cking Impact’: Border Agents Are Being Told Very Little To Prepare For The End Of A Major Trump-Era Order)
Title 42 was enacted under the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The title’s expiration coincides with the ending of the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to a White House memo.
“While the Administration has attempted to terminate the Title 42 policy and continues to support an orderly lifting of those restrictions, Title 42 remains in place because of orders issued by the Supreme Court and a district court in Louisiana,” the January memo read. “Enactment of H.R. 382 would lift Title 42 immediately, and result in a substantial additional inflow of migrants at the Southwest border.”
El Paso, Texas, a town that resides along the southern border, issued a state of emergency on Monday to prepare for an expected increase of illegal immigration after the order is lifted. The town needs to prepare for the “unknown” by ensuring it has resources for shelters, housing and staffers, Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser said during a Sunday press conference.
The White House said on Tuesday that Mexico has agreed to accept migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela that are expelled from the United States after Title 42 is lifted. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Mayorkas detailed their plan to control the expected surge on April 27, which includes penalties for illegal entrants and more legal pathways for migrants to cross the border.
Migration is a hemispheric challenge that demands hemispheric solutions. That is why I am so proud of the steps we announced today with @StateDept and our international partners. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/3Z42u6oELv
— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) April 27, 2023
“We are building lawful pathways for people to come to the United States without resorting to the smugglers. At the same time, we are imposing consequences on those who do not use those pathways,” Mayorkas had said.
There will be more information about Mayorkas’ visit to the border “in the coming days,” DHS wrote in the press release.
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