Border district congressman warns of migrant 'hurricane' at border when Title 42 ends

A congressman representing a key border district is warning that the end of the use of Title 42 to expel migrants at the southern border later this month is set to unleash a "hurricane" of migration -- and dismissing claims by the Biden administration that it has a plan in place to cope.

"I don't know what plan in place they are talking about. I represent 42% of the southern border and everyone in my district is essentially ‘batten down the hatches’ waiting for this hurricane to hit," Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Gonzales says that Border Patrol have let officials in Uvalde know that they will start dropping off 150 illegal immigrants a day.

"Their plan is essentially to let them know that this is happening," he said.

A federal judge last month ordered the end of Title 42, which has been used since March 2020 to quickly expel migrants at the southern border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after he ruled it unlawful. The judge granted a five-week period for DHS to prepare -- which expires on Dec. 21.

It has renewed fears similar to those when DHS tried to unwind the order back in April, that DHS is not prepared for an expected increase in migration. That concern has crossed party lines, with a number of Democrats expressing their concerns to the administration.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said that DHS has a plan in place to cope with the surge.

"What we are doing is precisely what we announced we would do in April of this year, and we have indeed been executing on the plan," he said at a hearing last month.

That plan, he said, includes surging personnel, technology and other resources to the border and increasing processing efficiency "to mitigate potential overcrowding." Additionally, Mayorkas says the administration will focus on increasing consequences for illegal entry. Currently, under Title 42, most migrants who are removed are expelled without any prosecution or punishment.

"We are enhancing the consequences for unlawful entry, especially with respect to individuals who seek to evade law enforcement, including removal, detention and criminal prosecution when warranted," he said.

That’s in addition to DHS efforts to bolster the capacity of non-profits as well as continuing to target smuggling organizations and working with Western Hemisphere countries to discourage illegal migration throughout the region.... (Read more)

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