A few days ago, the ending of Title 42 pandemic restrictions against illegal border crossers was supposedly replaced by tough new regulations to deter illegal crossings.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkasa few weeks ago:
... we are imposing consequences for individuals who do not use our lawful pathways.
Beginning on May 12th, we will be – we will place eligible individuals who arrive at our southern border in expedited removal proceedings. Those who arrive at our border and do not have a legal basis to stay will have made the journey, often having suffered horrific trauma and having paid their life savings to the smugglers, only to be quickly removed. They will be removed most often in a matter of days in just a few weeks.
Unlike the Title 42 public health authority, the penalty for being removed from the United States under Title 8 through expedited removal and other immigration laws we will be enforcing is not just removal. An individual who is removed is subject to at least a five-year ban on admission to the United States and can face criminal prosecution for any subsequent attempt to cross the border illegally.
According to Politico:
...Biden is taking incoming from progressives, too: They say the president’s new rule — similar to a Trump-era policy referred to as the “transit ban” — is too harsh, and will further limit access to the country’s asylum system.
“It’s evident that there’s been an unmistakable shift in the president’s immigration policy,” said Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), pointing to Biden administration officials floating family detention, sending troops to the border, and making it harder for some migrants to apply for asylum. “I know that the administration is in a tough spot, but it’s beyond disappointing to see them trying to appease Republicans on immigration.”
Oh, scary, scary, scary. Title 42 is gone now, and rather than tough new measures, it's business as usual for migrants -- catch-and-release.
According to the Washington Free Beacon:
Most of the migrants who are apprehended at the border are released into the United States, new data from Customs and Border Protection show.
The falling numbers, quite likely, are merely border crossing numbers. The actual number getting in is likely the same, given the new Biden apps and consular processing programs now available to migrants. Reports say that the acceptance rate for all of the CBPOne applications is 100%.
Migrants are using those, but they're still coming in from the border. too -- and getting in.
Many migrants were reportedly cowed at the reports that illegal border crossers would be sent back in the wake of Title 42 ending.
But since they aren't, it seems it's just a matter of time before word gets out again, bringing the surgers back.
It goes to show that all the tough talk from the Bidenites about consequences for illegal border crossings was garbage. They had no intention of sending anyone back. All they wanted was to get those Fox News cameras out of the area and into the nightly broadcasts.
That supports a statement by a Border Patrol source to a media outlet that Biden's top border priority remains public relations, not guarding the border, let alone protecting the country.
Image: Screen shot from Fox News video, via YouTube