Title 42, the xenophobic Trump-era migrant policy, is dead (again)
Facts
- According to a report published in Reuters on Wednesday, nine migrants who crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas this week claimed that there were multiple kidnappings across several days in Mexico's Durango state. If true, this could comprise one of the biggest recent mass kidnappings in the country.[1]
- The allegations follow accounts of a mass kidnapping on Dec. 3, when men in police uniforms allegedly stopped migrants' buses and conducted around a thousand people to a house where they were held against their will for six days. They were later rescued by Mexico's military.[2]
- Durango's Prosecutor's Office confirmed last week's rescues, but said it hadn't opened an investigation as it hadn't received any complaints directly related to the claims.[1]
- On Tuesday, Texas police began to carry out commercial vehicle inspections of trucks entering the US via the El Paso crossing, after pledges made by local Mexican officials to increase enforcement failed to produce much of an effect on illegal migration.[3]
- US Border Patrol Chief for the El Paso Sector, Peter Jaquez, stated on Monday that the area, "experienced a major surge in illegal crossings," over the weekend and reported a three-day average of more than 2.4K encounters every 24 hours.[4]
- The influx of migrants is expected to rise by 40% in the coming weeks, as the court-ordered expiration date of Title 42 — introduced in March 2020 to expedite the expulsion of asylum seekers during the pandemic — approaches. The increase is predicted to be felt strongly at the El Paso crossing.[5]
Spin
Democratic narrative
Since the US has dispensed with most COVID protocols, there’s no public health excuse to continue Title 42, which has always been a xenophobic policy disguised as a COVID measure. It’s inhumane to continue to turn away these migrants, many of whom have legitimate asylum claims, under this guise. Lawmakers should work to fix the immigration system, but Title 42 must go.
Republican narrative
It is clear that a legislative solution is the only way to resolve this problem, but negotiations will take time. As the US is facing an unprecedented migrant crisis at its southern border, even moderate Democrats know that the Biden admin. must extend the pandemic-era Title 42 emergency order to prevent the situation from intensifying and prevent the border from descending into chaos.
