The White House acknowledged the US has a “broken immigration system.”
However, Biden still defended his administration’s decision to terminate Title 42, which would attract tens of thousands of illegal immigrants into America as soon as next month.
Absolute Chaos Can Soon Hit American Borders
Speaking on Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated more needs to be done in order to address the immigration crisis in the country.
Thus, she invited bipartisan lawmakers to come up with suggestions to solve the ongoing mess.
An anonymous White House official told Fox News a large number of illegal immigrants who were initially expelled from America have tried to re-enter the country.
This they are doing because they were not treated lawfully on the border when they first came.
The official also revealed over 90,000 individuals have been returned in February alone, due to the presence of Title 42.
Though they can try to come again after the end of the title and the government will have to remove them.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn: "They're about to make a deadly mistake. Even with those Title 42 project protections in place, this February was the worst February for illegal immigration and border crossings in almost 20 years. […] This is border chaos." https://t.co/rFf0kpt1dx pic.twitter.com/m2j428kdsq
— The Hill (@thehill) April 19, 2022
Similarly, the official stated the Biden administration will try to “process migrants,” according to the laws of the United States, and in “close coordination” with border authorities.
While defending Biden’s decision, the official announced the administration should also work to establish future legal pathways for immigration, so people do not have to go through such a difficult journey while entering the United States.
Last week, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the data, according to which almost 220,000 migrants entered the United States in March.
Of these people, almost half were returned under Title 42, which would not be possible in the absence of the law.
Multiple Democrats Now Oppose Biden’s Messy Decision
While Republicans were always assertive in criticizing Biden for terminating the title, now Democrats are also turning against the president, as May 23 nears.
Rep. Val Demings’ spokesperson told Politico if the White House is taking this measure without introducing more agents on the borders, the congresswoman will oppose the measure.
Similarly, Democrat Senator Gary Peters asked Biden to delay the plan until the administration has a viable strategy.
The Hill reported the senator told some reporters he would not pass any judgment, but these are the sentiments of some of his colleagues.
This opposition from Democrats came when Senator Mark Kelly already voiced his concerns regarding the termination of the title. The senator noted lifting the title would result in absolute chaos.
Seeing this opposition from Democrats, Republicans are now aiming to stop Biden from lifting the title in the first place.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the GOP would stop COVID-19 funding using the filibuster if Democrats do not allow them to vote on an amendment to keep Title 42.
Former ICE Chief: The United States has lost operational control of our Southern border — and what's about to come in post-Title 42 chaos 'scares the hell out of me:'https://t.co/xabGhw8Mie
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 18, 2022
Apart from this, many other Democrat senators, including Krysten Sinema, Jon Tester, Maggie Hassan, and Joe Manchin, have asked to delay the termination until DHS comes up with a solid plan.
