A union leader representing U.S. Border Patrol agents is warning that ending Title 42 on Monday will give drug cartels full control of the southern border.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd expressed his concerns on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” on Wednesday.
“That we just don’t have anybody in the field, that we just can’t patrol the border. When you look right now, we already start our shifts with 50% of our resources not even performing enforcement activities. They’re in administrative duties,” Judd said.
“Once this explodes, we’re going to have nearly 100% of our people doing administrative duties rather than enforcement duties. That’s going to give complete control to the cartels. That’s a scary situation to be in,” he added.
The letter also comes as “234,088 migrants encountered at the Southern border in April, per a DHS court filing today. That’s the highest number in DHS history. 117,989 migrants were released into the U.S. in April. 113,248 were removed, including 96,908 expelled via Title 42,” according to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.
BREAKING: There were 234,088 migrants encountered at the Southern border in April, per a DHS court filing today. That’s the highest number in DHS history.
117,989 migrants were released into the U.S. in April.
113,248 were removed, including 96,908 expelled via Title 42. @FoxNews— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 16, 2022
At least 10 Democrats in Congress have joined with Republican lawmakers to oppose President Joe Biden’s plan to end the Trump-era policy.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly spoke out last month against the decision that could dramatically impact his state.
“Right now, we have a crisis on our southern border. Right now, this administration does not have a plan. I warned them about this months ago,” Kelly said, according to Fox News.
“It’s going to be, to be honest, it’s going to be a crisis on top of a crisis,” he added.
Kelly also visited the border recently, taking to Twitter to address his concerns about ending Title 42.
“I heard directly from Border Patrol leadership about operational challenges and discussed with them my concerns about the administration’s intent to lift Title 42 without a comprehensive plan in place. My focus is on ensuring an orderly, humane, and secure border process,” he wrote.
Other Democrats who have spoken against ending Title 42 include Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, and Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar.
On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA) also led a group of GOP leaders who signed a letter urging the Biden administration to develop a plan to combat crime at the southern border.
“Around the country, we’re seeing violent crime like homicide, theft, arson, and vandalism dramatically increase while progressive leaders debate defunding the police. The Biden Administration is failing to address our wide open border where the cartels smuggle drugs and people into the United States every day,” Sen. James Lankford (OK), who joined Cassidy, said.
In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it would be scrapping the Title 42 policy on May 23 after determining that the rule is “no longer necessary.”