AUSTIN, Texas — Citing record crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are joining a list of lawmakers in a letter pushing to keep Title 42 in place.
Over the past 1.5 years, the policy has allowed the government to expel migrants at the border without offering them the opportunity to request asylum or other humanitarian protections.
In a press release, Cornyn's office described the policy as "an important authority that allows DHS to expel migrants who have entered the country illegally, remain in place until the historic level of migrant crossings at the southern border is brought down through appropriate deterrent measures."
The letter was addressed to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. It was signed by the following representatives:
- Kay Granger (TX-12)
- Michael McCaul (TX-10)
- Kevin Brady (TX-08)
- Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
- Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15)
- John Carter (TX-31)
- Brian Babin (TX-36)
- Jake Ellzey (TX-06)
- August Pfluger (TX-11)
- Randy Weber (TX-14)
- Pete Sessions (TX-17)
- Beth Van Duyne (TX-24)
- Michael C. Burgess (TX-26)
- Van Taylor (TX-03)
- Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
- Lance Gooden (TX-05)
- Roger Williams (TX-25)
- Pat Fallon (TX-04)
- Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)
“We understand that this legal authority is temporary and tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency, but DHS appears unprepared to handle a likely unprecedented increase in apprehensions along the southwest border,” they wrote. “At the current levels of cross-border migration, DHS currently lacks adequate capacity to process and detain all migrants apprehended along the southwest border … Furthermore, small border communities lack the appropriate housing, transportation, and healthcare infrastructure to manage the ongoing release of migrant populations into their jurisdictions.”
To read the letter in full, click here.
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