The Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy that restricts asylum applications, has garnered broken reactions from Democratic lawmakers, supporters, and the administration itself.
Progressivists and immigrant advocates praised the decision, claiming it had been postponed for a long time after President Biden promised to end the rule during the 2020 campaign.
However, moderate Senate Democrats have announced condemnation of the withdrawal, claiming they are not ready to manage the surge in immigrants they say will come if the rules are lifted.
The administration withdrew the rules on Friday, and executives were politically distant from the decision they said were motivated by public health considerations.
Under Title 42, due to end May 23, border immigrants will be processed under normal immigration rules and will not be allowed to exercise their right to claim asylum, but temporarily from the State. Was banished.
The Biden administration has used Title 42 about 1.7 million times and may return individuals to Mexico on the same day, or it may take weeks to repatriate men, women and children to Haiti’s dangerous situation. did.
Some Democrats openly celebrated the administration’s decision and called it a victory, but Biden’s top executives adopted a much darker tone, warning that the move could lead to an influx of immigrants. ..
“We have implemented a comprehensive government-wide strategy to manage the potential increase in the number of migrants encountered at the border,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas said in a statement.
Technically, Rochelle Wollensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had the sole authority to retain or remove Title 42, but believe that healthcare is the real reason behind the policy. Few observers are there.
Cardinal Teresa Brown, Managing Director of Immigration and Cross-Border Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said:
“Honestly, regardless of the health risks from a particular group,” Brown added that migrants were banished under Title 42, depending on various factors such as where they came from.
Nonetheless, high-ranking government officials defended hygienic reasons for both maintaining Title 42 for a long period of time and announcing its next end.
“Title 42 is not the Immigration Bureau, but the public health authority used by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Title 42 is valid until May 23, until then. [the Department of Homeland Security] We will continue to expel single adults and families encountered at the southwestern border, “Mallorcus said.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) has criticized the Biden administration for its continued use of Title 42.
Those critics were quiet shortly after the announcement, but other Democrats who were more reserved to choose to fight the White House soon came out to support the decision.
“Today is a bright spot in the history of our country with the end of the title 42 policy initiated by Trump,” said Raul Ruiz (D-Calif), chairman of the Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in Parliament. .) Said in a statement.
“CHC has repeatedly called for the end of this policy, backed by the agenda of Trump’s anti-immigrant hatred and fear, which used pandemics as an excuse to deny the legal rights of asylum seekers in due process,” he added. rice field.
Progressive also celebrated the decision, acknowledging that the Biden administration did “right” and “moral”.
“Today is an important day for migrant rights activists, and migrants and refugees everywhere. Title 42 is cruel and discriminatory, circumventing US law and preventing people from accessing protection established by Congress. It was a positive policy, “said Pramirajayapal (Democratic Party), chairman of Parliament’s Progressive Caucus, in a statement.
“Today is the product of many years of support from inside and outside Congress. By ending this highly harmful, xenophobic, short-sighted policy that has disproportionately affected black and brown migrants. I look forward to seeing the Biden administration do the right thing and moral things, “added Jayapal.
Other progressives celebrated the announcement and declined to praise executives.
“I was relieved to see the administration finally listen to our call after consistently asking President Biden to end Title 42. Asylum seekers and their movement and parliamentary allies , We are organizing daily to abolish this harmful policy, “said Congressman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
“This long postponed action will definitely save lives, and is an important step in building a fair and effective asylum system for all,” she added.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Made a more diplomatic tone without celebrating or criticizing the administration, but demanded a reset of border control.
“The Biden administration will take advantage of this transition period to address the long-standing unprocessed portion of the court and the implementation of a comprehensive immigration program that will reconstruct a fair and humane asylum seeker system as well as enforcement. We need to continue, “says Grijalva. statement.
However, some Democrats opposed the withdrawal of Title 42, arguing that the move would be disastrous for border control.
Senator Joe Manchin called for an impressive “horrible decision” for the “unprepared” administration to prepare for the influx into the border.
Both Arizona Democratic Senators made similar sounds.
“This is a wrong decision. It is unacceptable to end Title 42 without planning and coordinating to ensure a safe, orderly and humane process at the border,” wrote Senator Mark Kelly. ..
“The decision to end Title 42 shows our lack of understanding of the crisis at the border, even though the comprehensive plan has not yet been prepared,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Senator Maggie Hassan (DN.H.), who will be re-elected this year, will also join Title 42 twice this week, resulting in a surge in immigrants who say “no government will appear” when Biden lifts the order “prematurely”. He said it could lead. I am ready. ”
Democratic Senators Bob Menendez (NJ) and Cory Booker (NJ) supported the end of Title 42, but said they believed it should be done in stages.
“We support the end of Title 42, but extending this policy until the end of May will only encourage illegal immigrants to the border and eventually create an unwanted bottleneck effect at sunset,” they said. I am writing.
“I hope the administration will extend the exemption to the original order and start lifting title 42 in stages,” they added.
However, among the various reactions, there is little data on whether the end of Title 42 actually causes a surge in immigrants at the border, or how the Department of Homeland Security deals with changing immigration patterns. ..
Brown, a former policy adviser to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said:
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