WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing legislation to extend the Title 42 authority at the nation’s southern border until February 2025. At present, the Title 42 Public Health Order allows Homeland Security and immigration officials to expeditiously return illegal immigrants to their home country in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This legislation comes in response to the Biden Administration deciding to rescind the Title 42 authority, which will lead to an additional surge of illegal immigrants coming across the southern border.
“The Biden Administration’s decision to revoke Title 42 in the midst of an illegal immigration crisis has already sent the wrong message, threatened our national security, and before long, will cause irreversible damage to our country,” Risch said. “Preserving Title 42 is the best way forward to secure our southern border.”
“The ongoing crisis at our southern border commands a stronger, more effective leadership,” Crapo said. “Reversing Title 42 without having a plan in place to secure the border now will only exacerbate that crisis. The Administration must use all available tools to secure our borders, enforce immigration laws and provide all necessary resources to the U.S. immigration enforcement agencies to remove all who violate our laws.”
Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) also joined in introducing the bill.
Risch and Crapo signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding information on the Department’s plans to secure the border once the Biden Administration rescinds Title 42, and another letter to DHS raising concerns with the proposal after the Administration set a target date of May 23, 2022, to end the Title 42 Order.
Risch and Crapo have also co-sponsored the Stop Fentanyl Border Crossings Act, which would expand Title 42 authority to turn back migrants to combat prolific drug smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border.
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