Title 42 expired at midnight Thursday night, and the situation at the southern border is uncertain. Although Alejandro Matorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, assured that there is a significant operation in place to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally, some legislators visited the site and did not fully agree with the official. One of them was Ted Cruz.
The Texas senator was at the southern border on Thursday, where he assessed the current situation and spoke with Border Patrol agents, whom he called “heroes.” “We are witnessing an absolute travesty unfolding on our southern border,” he assured the press.
In the area he visited alone, some 42,000 people were detained since Monday, possibly higher if other locations along the 3,200-kilometer southern border are considered. For the senator, drug smuggling and human trafficking are the main challenges.
“I am angry because this is deliberate. This is a decision that was made by President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and congressional Democrats to open up the border to what is nothing less than an invasion. Why is President Biden not here? Why is Kamala Harris not here? Why is Elizabeth Warren not here? Why is AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]? She still owns the white pantsuit. Why is she not here with her head buried in her hands? Because they don’t give a damn about the dead bodies!” Cruz added.
Title 42 was a Trump Administration policy implemented as a policy during the onset of COVID-19, which allowed for the expedited removal of asylum seekers. The end of this regulation could lead to an even more significant surge of illegal immigration, worrying lawmakers from both parties.
Cruz has been one of the most vocal critics of Secretary Mayorkas, whom he questioned in the Senate in late March. Looking ahead, he was not very optimistic about the number of illegal crossings. “We are witnessing modern-day slavery. Title 42 is expiring today. And you know what happens tomorrow, those numbers go up. This is an invasion, and they want the numbers to go up,” the senator continued.
After that, he praised the border agents: “Let me say to the men and women from the Border Patrol who are heroes. They are extraordinary heroes. And we’re down here to tell them thank you, to tell them we love you, to tell them we got your back even as your political superiors are making it impossible for you to do your job,” Cruz remarked.
In an attempt to deter illegal immigration, Mayorkas said he will increase the number of agents along the border, along with “tougher consequences” for those attempting to cross and those who have already entered. For example, he warned of a “minimum five-year ban on re-entry and potential criminal prosecution” and a willingness to “humanely process and remove people without a legal basis to remain in the US.”
“We’ve seen six and a half million people cross illegally since Joe Biden became president, and the administration wants six and a half million to be 10 million, to be 12 million, to be 15 million, to be 20 million. And the body bags that pile up, they can’t be bothered to worry about. I’ll tell you, the great state of Texas is on the front lines; the volume is overwhelming! It’s gotta stop!” Cruz finished.
