Student Opinion – Keep Title 42, Biden’s Removal Will Strain The Border

The border crisis has been a thorn in the side of the Biden presidency since he took office. Despite anticipating a record number of immigrants traveling to the southern border this spring, the administration has made another decision that will aggravate this problem at the border. Title 42, a policy under President Trump that allowed for the quick turning away of immigrants at the border due to public health concerns, will expire in late May.

Yes, life is returning to normal after the coronavirus pandemic, but the problem is that the Biden administration has no plan to counteract the surge that will occur. This change is asking for a fiasco at the border this summer.

Even Democrats are split on this issue. The more progressive Democrats have supported the move, while numerous Democrats in the Senate have announced their opposition to removing Title 42.

“Ending Title 42 is expected to cause a significant increase of migration to the United States and put more pressure on an already broken system,” Sen. Jon Tester of Montana wrote, citing border officer shortages and the already strained border.

Sens. Joe Manchin, Mark Kelly, Raphael Warnock and many others made statements warning against the move.

Every statement mentioned how the administration has not provided a plan to counteract the expected increase in border encounters. It’s one thing to have Joe Manchin in opposition, but a sizeable number of Democrats are against the move. These senators up for a tight reelection know that the American people don’t want an overwhelmed border.

Advocates for Title 42’s removal, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, say it is inhumane to turn away desperate asylum seekers. Another major argument is that Title 42 is a public health law and should not be used only to combat immigration.

These arguments are fine if there was a valid alternative, but the American immigration system is currently a joke. We are not equipped to handle the influx of immigrants to the border, and removing Title 42 only hurts the situation. It is not realistic to point to the heartlessness of turning away migrants when we have a backlogged system unable process them.

I am all for helping needy immigrants in a responsible way, but we must have an efficient system. This recent policy is further self-harm on an already broken system.

The Biden administration simply has no plan. It has been retroactive on every single issue since he took office, whether it be Afghanistan, Omicron, the economy or Ukraine. The crisis at the border has been no different.

It’s not that the current administration thinks the current system is effective — they just don’t seem to care. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas called the immigration system “fundamentally broken,” asking for legislative reform. Democrats control both houses in Congress, and the presidency — they have no excuse.

There has been no effort put into controlling the border crisis, and the latest move is no different. The premature removal of Title 42 is yet another immigration blunder by President Biden, and nobody should be shocked that he doesn’t have a plan either.

browder is an opinion writer. Follow him on Twitter