U.S. Braces for the End of Title 42

By Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: On Thursday, President Joe Biden’s administration will be forced to end Title 42, a pandemic-era regulation that allows the government to swiftly expel migrants at the border. Officials say there are around 700,000 migrants—a crowd roughly the size of the population of Boston—waiting to flood the southern border, and that this will only be the beginning. Almost 400,000 migrants could attempt to cross the border each month after the end of Title 42.

Bracing for impact: The Biden administration is seeking to implement as soon as possible a proposed measure to severely limit asylum for migrants and quickly deport those who don’t qualify. Biden is also sending 1,500 troops to the border to help process migrants. Mexico has agreed to take back non-Mexican border crossers that the U.S. deports, but this will only account for a fraction of migrants.

What other leaders are doing: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is deploying a new task force with the state’s National Guard that will wear riot gear and attempt to “stop” border crossings. On Thursday, the House will vote on a Republican border security bill, but Biden has promised to veto it.

Where we are with the border crisis:

• Millions have illegally crossed the border under Biden, including hundreds of criminal convicts and suspects as well as suspected terrorists.

• Drug trafficking at the border has helped drive fentanyl overdose deaths to record highs in the U.S.

• Over a thousand migrants have died trying to cross the border as government-funded nonprofits incentivize them to make the dangerous trip.

• The Biden administration is reportedly processing hordes of migrant children by giving them to under-vetted sponsors who exploit them for sex or labor.

• Taxpayers are footing the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars in housing, health care, and other expenses for migrants across the country.