Dear Friend,

The border crisis could get a lot worse in the coming weeks. Two weeks ago, a Washington, D.C., federal judge blocked the continued use of Title 42, which allows the United States to expel illegal immigrants from the country due to public health concerns, and the fallout of the decision is coming to light. The Biden Administration has been moving to end Title 42 and other important homeland security safeguards, such as the Remain in Mexico policy, over the last two years. The Administration's success in dismantling these policies has contributed to the current border crisis, but Title 42 has served as one of the last major tools of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the last few months.

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration targeted Title 42 for removal, but was ultimately unsuccessful due to court intervention. In the weeks leading up to a potential end of the measure, however, the Department of Homeland Security was reported to have been planning for up to 18,000 encounters per day. For context, CBP agents encountered approximately 7,000 migrants per day in October, and previous officials have said that a "crisis" was defined as over 1,000 encounters per day. 

The Biden Administration has yet to present a plan to address the current to crisis, and I am skeptical that they have a plan to address a crisis that could be almost 3-times worse. Earlier this year, Republicans warned the Administration of the impending crisis should Title 42 end, and I helped lead legislation that would require the Biden Administration to present a plan to Congress on how it will secure the southwest border. They have yet to deliver a comprehensive plan.  

The current system is already overwhelmed, but the Biden Administration has refused to admit that the border is not secure. This year, I pressed Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on the issue, and he maintained that the border was secure despite all evidence to the contrary. 

If Title 42 is allowed to end, we will see a flood of illegal immigration into the United States, and the blame will rest solely on President Biden. Next year, under a Republican majority, we intend to conduct strenuous oversight to determine why the Biden Administration is unwilling or unable to secure our border. We will also work to introduce common-sense solutions to address the drug and humanitarian crisis that has accompanied the loss of operational control of the border. However, if the Biden Administration continues to block or dismantle all of the effective policies that have been put in place to secure the border, then the crisis will continue.