DHS plans for immigration spike after Title 42 ends

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for an increase in illegal immigration after Title 42 ends. The health order allows DHS to send migrants back into Mexico because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We anticipate migration levels will increase, as smugglers will seek to take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in a memo describing the plan.

The strategy has six pillars, which include increasing resources for Customs and Border Protection and non-governmental organizations and enhanced international cooperation. 

• CBP will increase its detention capacity from 13,000 to 18,000 
• Increase the use of expedited removal, an accelerated procedure for removing families who cross illegally  
• Target human smugglers, an effort that has already led to 2,500 arrests

The United States signed migration agreements with Costa Rica and Panama. The pacts aim to facilitate legal immigration and increase resources for Central American migration and border police. The U.S. and Mexico also have a working agreement to crack down on transnational criminal organizations and facilitate legal migration and trade. 

“Many elements of this plan are already being implemented as we manage a historic number of encounters, including a record number of noncitizens trying to enter the United States multiple times,” Mayorkas wrote.  

During a recent visit to the border, congressional Republicans expressed frustration with the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42. They said 7,000 people a day are currently crossing the border, a number that is projected to increase to 18,000 when Title 42 ends. 

“If it’s unsustainable today, what will it look like a month from now,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) asked.

The Republicans at the border said they have fought the Biden administration for a year to keep the health measure in place. They pointed to the growing number of congressional Democrats who are also asking president Biden to keep Title 42 in place for the time being. 

“Title 42 is a bandaid on a gunshot wound. It’s not actual border security,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said. Roy called for increased border security in addition to approving a bill in Congress that will keep Title 42 in place. 

Title 42’s end date is currently unknown. It was scheduled for May 23 but the Biden administration has since agreed to comply with a federal judge’s restraining order keeping it in place.