Members of the National Sheriffs’ Association wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging them to take steps to keep Title 42 in place. The Biden adminstration is moving forward with stopping the enforcement of the public health order on May 23 despite warnings it will increase illegal crossings on top of already historic highs.
Fox News reported more than 70 sheriffs signed onto the letter to the congressional leaders:
"We simply have no border left in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or Southern California. The Administration since day one, phased out remain in Mexico (overturned by courts), reversed asylum restrictions, implemented 100 day pause on deportations and stopped building the barrier which defines our border. Now, the Administration is ending one of our most effective health measures, Title 42, which seeks to return illegal immigrants to their home country during this pandemic. Today, there are thousands of immigrants in the jungles of the Darien gap headed to the US border. We simply don’t know their health status and implore you to keep Title 42 as the last policy we have to keep Americans safe from COVID and a host of other communicable diseases carried by these immigrants.
"We have already reached the million-illegal immigrant mark in just 6 short months. This letter addresses Title 42 so we won’t speak about the amount of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, ghost guns, ammunition and other deadly substances flowing across our border at this very moment."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose agency is leading the government's efforts to prepare for the increase in immigrant apprehensions, has privately told lawmakers he has been frustrated with how the CDC has planned the rollback of Title 42 and he is concerned DHS is not going to well-prepared to handle the extra thousands of illegal immigrants by next month.