Florida’s top leaders on Monday were outspokenly critical of Joe Biden’s decision to reverse the public health order that allowed U.S. Department of Homeland Security to quickly expel migrants at the border due to health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers claim that a reversal would result in an overwhelming surge of migrants that southern states do not have the capacity to deal with. The Biden administration announced on Friday that it will officially end the border restrictions known as Title 42 on May 23, as the Center for Disease Control claims that migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border have ceased to be a serious danger to public health.
“Based on what I am being told by officials in South & Central America, expect Biden’s decision to end Title 42 to lead to the biggest migration crisis in U.S. history,” said Sen. Marco Rubio. “It’s not just what Title 42 technically does, it’s what migrants think getting rid of it means.” According to reports, Biden administration officials are anticipating a mass migration event once Title 42 officially.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates 25,000 migrants are already waiting in shelters just south of the border for Title 42 to end.
An internal email sent to senior ICE officials in recent days warned that authorities are bracing for a “mass migration event.”
“Joe Biden’s reckless border policies have allowed more than 2 million foreigners to enter our country illegally via the southern border,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Revoking Title 42 authority will supercharge the already skyrocketing flow of illegal aliens, increasing drug, human, and sex trafficking. Biden is failing miserably to faithfully execute the law and is violating his oath of office.”
On March 12, the Center for Disease Control announced it was dropping Title 42 for unaccompanied children, but left the policy in place for others migrants, according to NPR.
In a letter to DHS last week, a group of Republican senators, led by Rick Scott, asked about the agency’s preparations for “the anticipated surge of illegal border crossings.”
“They said Title 42 had been “an effective deterrent” to such crossings. Last year alone, almost 2 MILLION migrants illegally crossed our southern border because of the Biden admin’s failed open borders & amnesty policies. Revoking Title 42 is a massive mistake,” said Sen. Rick Scott on Twitter. “Joe Biden needs to talk to [U.S. Customs and Border Patrol] agents & help them SECURE THE BORDER.”
This past weekend, Democrat Senate hopeful Val Demings, while inviting Biden to campaign alongside her in Florida, opted not to take a hardline stance on the administrative action, rather committing to the notion that we must keep our borders secure.
“I know that there have been people calling for Title 42 to be removed long before now, or to be relaxed in some way, right? I think that we need to make sure, number one… as we follow the law, we need to make sure that our borders are secure,” Demings said.
DeSantis has gone to battle with Biden over immigration, taking legal action against the Biden administration for ignoring federal immigration law as the situation at the U.S. southwest border continues.
The amended complaint comes after it was uncovered that dozens of illegal immigrants were brought to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and then bussed to a nearby airport to be sent to their chosen destination inside the United States. Some individuals said that they planned to head to Floridian cities like Jacksonville and Miami.
Appearing on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in November, DeSantis alleged that upward of 70 flights have landed at Jacksonville International Airport in recent months, all containing undocumented individuals from Central America and Mexico.
“The Biden administration has not only consciously refused to enforce immigration laws, but it has also developed an operation to secretly resettle illegal aliens into communities across Florida and the rest of the United States,” said DeSantis. “They’re doing this in the dark of night without any coordination with states, without any background checks, and without any efforts to initiate the legal process for their removal. I am glad Attorney General Moody is continuing our fight to hold the Biden Administration accountable for its reckless disregard for immigration laws.”