Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified to the House Judiciary Committee April 28 about ending Title 42, a Trump-Era public health policy that regulated immigration asylum claims during COVID-19.
Mayorkas reportedly faced widespread backlash over this choice. Despite this, Mayorkas testified to the purpose of Title 42, arguing it was implemented specifically for the pandemic and will be lifted May 23 — despite the likely spikes in illegal immigration that this decision would create, according to an NPR article.
"Under this administration, our department has been executing a comprehensive strategy to secure our borders and rebuild our immigration system," Mayorkas said to NPR. "With the Title 42 public health order set to be lifted, we expect migration levels to increase as smugglers seek to take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified about ending Title 42.
| DHS.gov
NPR reported Mayorkas believes some of these problems existed before the order.
"We inherited a broken and dismantled system that is already under strain," Mayorkas continued, according to NPR.
Louisiana Judge Robert Sumerhays implied he would issue a restraining order to temporarily prevent the rollback of the order, ABC News reported. In light of this order, Secretary Mayorkas pursued a series of stages to prepare for the eventual rollback of Title 42, whether or not that rollback occurs. NPR reports that these controversies have proven divisive in the already highly partisan political environment of the current Congress.
Despite the partisan gridlock, even some Democrats object to Mayorkas's plan as well, according to NPR.
