Border Security Alliance sounds alarm over nearing end of Title 42, lack of preparation by Biden administration

PHOENIX — With less than a month remaining before the conclusion of the Public Health Emergency that has been the basis of the Title 42 protocols at the U.S.-Mexico border since 2020, the Border Security Alliance is sounding the alarm that the Biden administration is unprepared for the anticipated dramatic strain that will soon face the border ports of entry and border communities.

“The White House and Department of Homeland Security should be able to clearly articulate a strategy for managing and securing the southern border – but they can’t. Instead, border communities are given assurances that the federal government is up to the task, but without any evidence of a coherent plan,” Border Security Alliance President Jobe Dickinson said. “We need more than empty promises; we need a plan to secure this border.”

The Public Health Emergency and Title 42 will officially end on May 11, but the lack of preparedness by the Biden administration has been noted by members of Congress, including Arizona U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who said that DHS has been “derelict in its duty” to prepare. Sen. Mark Kelly last year said he feared a lifting of Title 42 would prove “chaotic” for the border. Both Sinema and Kelly have co-sponsored legislation that would improve border security and the immigration system, including the asylum claim process.

“From border communities to Capitol Hill, it’s obvious to apparently everyone but the White House that DHS needs to do more to secure this border and prepare for what will be a dangerous, perilous period once Title 42 ends,” BSA Chairman Jonathan Lines said. “Whether we pursue legislation in Congress or take needed and important steps administratively, it has become increasingly clear that the White House does not have a strategy to stem the flow of undocumented migrants and stop once and for all the cartels that are smuggling everything from people to fentanyl to counterfeit goods. The criminals are watching, and they see an administration that’s flailing.”

As May 11 draws near, the BSA will continue to elevate the need to strengthen border security by sharing video features and commentary on social media.