Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) had choice words for the Biden administration and House Republicans as Title 42, the pandemic-era policy that allowed for immigrants to be expelled from the southern border, is set to expire Thursday.
“While the Biden administration has given its best effort to prepare for the lifting of Title 42, it’s clear they’ve fallen short," Grijalva said in a statement. "In speaking with Arizona officials and local communities along the border, it’s evident that coordination from the federal government is lacking. While border communities have been assisting with the humanitarian needs, they desperately need additional resources to manage the lifting of Title 42. The latest troop deployments by President Biden and militarization are not the answer."
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In recent days, Biden faced bipartisan criticism, including from Democrats who represent border communities, for ending Title 42, which experts have said would likely lead to an influx of border crossings. Title 42 was a policy the Trump administration enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. It allowed the Border Patrol to expel immigrants without granting them an asylum hearing. But after Biden ended the national emergency stemming from the pandemic, Title 42 will expire. In an effort to stem the influx of border crossings, Biden preemptively announced he was sending 1,500 troops to the border.
Grijalva, though, implored the Biden administration to "use its authorities and take action to create additional legal immigration pathways, expand efforts like regional processing centers and work with hemispheric partners to address the root causes of migration.”
The Arizona congressman also criticized House Republicans and continued his call for immigration reform. The GOP is set to pass a sweeping immigration security bill that would continue the construction of a border wall, among other policies. Biden has vowed to veto the legislation.
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"The current solutions proposed by House Republicans for our immigration system are partisan and create further chaos at our border," he noted. "A comprehensive legislative solution is badly needed and that’s why House Democrats are prepared to pass legislation that is permanent and meaningful, restores dignity to our immigration system, strengthens our labor market, provides critical resources to our southern border and addresses the root causes of migration.”
Grijalva has long rallied against Title 42, calling it a "cruel relic and policy reminder of the Trump-immigration era" last year. On Thursday, the congressman once again reiterated his antipathy for the policy. "Enactment of Title 42 under the Public Health Service Act by the Trump administration has always been a nativist effort to stop the entry of migrants fleeing persecution and violence from their legal right to asylum under U.S. law and international obligations. Title 42 is not a lawful border policy," he said.