The Title 42 public health order that allows expedited removal of migrants due to COVID-19 is set to expire next week, and Republicans are warning that the country is completely unprepared for the surge of people crossing the border that is expected to take place.
Title 42 will be gone come December 21 due to a court order, and what has already been a staggering rate of migrants entering the country is expected to spike further.
"Title 42 ends on December 20th. After that, expect nearly 14,000 illegal aliens to cross our border each day," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, tweeted Thursday. "That would equate to over 400,000 illegal aliens in a single month. That’s larger than the population of New Orleans."
This figure appears to be similar to the Department of Homeland Security's estimate that there will be between 9,000 and 15,000 migrants a day after Title 42 is gone.
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The White House has urged Republicans to back a $4 billion request for extra funding to address the situation. That money would fund "border management" and DHS would use it on soft-sided facilities, migrant care, transportation, processing, and the Emergency Food and Shelter program.
"If Republicans in Congress are serious about border security, they would ensure that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security have the resources they need to secure our border and build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system," White House Assistant Press Secretary Abdullah Hasan said.
GOP lawmakers have not been confident that the administration has the right ideas when it comes to addressing the situation.
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"What's the plan for dealing with this massive migration, illegal immigration coming now post Title 42?" Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a November Senate hearing. Mayorkas noted that there is a six-point plan that is being employed, but Lankford asserted that this plan has already proven to be ineffective given the current number of migrants.
On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., put it more bluntly.
"What has the Biden Administration done to prepare for the massive surge of illegals at the border - the one THEIR policies are causing? Nothing," Hawley tweeted.
Lawmakers in Congress have been considering a potential immigration deal that would see Title 42 extended in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for two million illegal immigrants.
There have been a number of Democrats who have also been cautioning that the end of Title 42 will be a problem. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, were among those who signed a letter to the White House asking them to extend Title 42's authority.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also recently expressed concern about what the end of Title 42 will mean for his state. California proudly provides benefits to illegal immigrants, but Newsom told ABC News on Monday that "what we’ve got right now is not working and is about to break in a post-42 world unless we take some responsibility and ownership."
Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
