Texas Border Cities Prepare For A ‘Hurricane Coming’ As Title 42 Expires

Topline

Victor Trevino, mayor of Laredo, Texas, said his border city is preparing for “a hurricane coming” ahead of Title 42’s expiration Thursday, according to CNN, as thousands of troops and government personnel are being sent to the southern border ahead of an expected surge in migrants.

President Joe Biden suggested the southern border would be “chaotic for a while.”

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Trevino—who declared a state of emergency last month—said Laredo does not have the “financial resources” needed to help migrants crossing the border, according to Politico, adding he can “see the storm coming” as Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that blocks migrants seeking asylum at the border, is lifted.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser—who also declared a state of emergency—said his city is preparing “for the unknown” number of migrants crossing the border after Title 42 is lifted.

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez said his city is “in a really good position” and that Brownsville has allocated nearly $6 million to process migrants coming into the city, adding, “We have a pretty good idea what to expect.”

President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday the southern border would be “chaotic for a while” after Title 42 is lifted, though the White House said it had a “robust multiagency plan to humanely manage” the border.

The Biden Administration announced last week it would send 1,500 troops to the border and nearly 600 have already arrived as of Wednesday, according to CNN, in an effort to assist border patrol personnel.

Crucial Quote

Mendez suggested the “only way I see any sort of breakdown” at the border is “if we don’t continue to have the coordination and communication that we have had with our federal partners or if we get an extreme amount of people that we’re not expecting.”

Contra

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—who said the department is “surging personnel to the border”—argued Title 42’s expiration “does not mean our border is open,” adding there will be “tougher consequences for people who cross the border illegally.”

Big Number

3,900. That’s how many federal employees Homeland Security is sending to the southern border, according to Mayorkas. Of these, 1,400 are Homeland Security personnel, 1,000 are processing coordinators and 1,500 are Department of Defense personnel.

Key Background

Title 42, enacted by former President Donald Trump and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020, allowed the U.S. to deny migrants at the Mexican and Canadian borders, including those seeking refuge. The policy is a clause of a 1944 Public Health Service Law, which allows the government to take emergency actions to prevent the spread of diseases. Biden previously attempted to lift the policy in April 2022, though a federal judge argued his administration violated administrative law and that lifting the policy would cause a “significant threat of injury” to the public. A district judge subsequently gave the Biden Administration permission to lift the policy in November after ruling it was “arbitrary and capricious.” The policy will be officially lifted Thursday as the U.S. ends its national Covid public health emergency.