They don’t want to be tied to Biden.
If it’s not inflation that poses a threat to incumbent Democrats retaining their majority in both chambers, then it’s immigration. With a little over a month to go until Title 42 is rescinded, high-profile Democrats seeking reelection have stepped away from President Joe Biden and the administration’s view on immigration.
One such Democrat is Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who beat Republican Senator Martha McSally in a special election in 2020.
On Wednesday, April 7, following a meeting with Customs and Border Protection officials, Kelly shared his criticism of Biden’s plans to end Trump-Era Title 42
Kelly started by being outspoken on Biden’s immigration policy, stating, “Right now we have a crisis on our southern border.”
Speaking to reporters, Kelly added, “Title 42 was put in place because of a public health emergency. It shouldn’t be around forever, but right now this administration does not have a plan. I warned them about this months ago.”
Title 42, first implemented by former President Donald Trump as a health protocol, continued through Biden’s tenure. The order expelled a majority of migrants at the border since being implemented.
Most notably, the order resulted in 55 percent of migrants being returned rather than released into the U.S.; and, last year, the health order came under intense scrutiny from Democrats when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited Title 42 as the reason it was returning most of the 7,000 Haitian migrants that had camped along the southern border of a Del Rio, Texas.
Then, following mounting pressure from Democrats to remove the order, Biden announced the move earlier last month.
But the administration’s lack of planning regarding what will be done to curb a surge of migrants has led many Democrats to raise concerns about the announcement. And, so close to the midterms, have caused incumbent Democrats to be very vocal about their misgivings.
It’s not only Kelly, but Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire added, “Border agents were very clear with me that the end of Title 42 will lead to a steep increase of attempted crossings that they will not be able to effectively handle because they don’t have enough resources.”
Like Kelly, Hassan opposes removing Title 42 while no plan exists to stop the surge.
