While visiting the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reiterated his claim that the southern border would not open once Title 42 ends on May 23, the Daily Mail reported.
“It is very important to note that while, of course, we are preparing for the end of Title 42 based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision that it will end on May 23, that does not mean that the border is open beginning May 23,” Mayorkas insisted during a press conference after speaking with border patrol.
“We continue to enforce the laws of this country. ‘We continue to remove individuals who do not qualify for relief under the laws of this country,” he added.
Mayorkas’ visit to the border comes less than a week before U.S. Code Title 42 § 265 is rescinded, a measure in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that allows the surgeon general to limit migration on the basis of public health risk.
Customs and Border Protection said they encountered 234,088 migrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. in April, a 5.8% increase from March and a 22-year high, according to NBC News.
The states of Arizona, Missouri, and Louisiana filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Louisiana last month seeking to extend the policy. The states are arguing the Biden administration failed to account for the cost to states if the measure were to be rescinded, per NPR.
“What we’re arguing is, look, they haven’t gone about this the right way in the first place. They haven’t had a notice and comment period – if you wanted to rescind this at all,” Missouri AG Eric Schmitt told Fox News in April. “They’re supposed to weigh the downside with what they’re advocating for. They haven’t done it, which is why we think we’ll be successful.”
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