4/25/22 - Republicans Head For The Border

-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is planning to lead a group of Republican lawmakers to the southern border of Texas today. 

McCarthy's office said in a press release that the California Republican will be joined in Eagle Pass, Texas, by nine lawmakers, including two other members of House GOP leadership -- Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer.  Others expected to make the trip include Reps. Tony Gonzales, Randy Weber, Michael Guest and Chip Roy, all of Texas; Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee and Blake Moore of Utah.

Next month, the Biden administration is set to repeal the measure known as Title 42.   That measure allows border authorities to turn migrants back to Mexico or their home countries because of the public health crisis caused by Covid-19. It was first invoked by then- President Donald Trump.

"House Republicans stand with our brave Border Patrol agents on the front lines of this crisis, and we demand that the Biden administration reverse their decision to end Title 42 and fully enforce the immigration and border security laws of our nation," McCarthy's office said.

Some Democrats have joined Republicans in slamming the decision to roll back the border measure next month, arguing that President Biden and the Homeland Security Secretary do not have enough time to establish an adequate plan to deal with the expected surge of migrants expected on the US-Mexico border once Title 42 is rescinded.

US Customs and Border Protection had 221,303 encounters at the US-Mexico border in March.  CBP has already apprehended more than 1 million people this fiscal year, which began on October 1. That includes some repeat crossers.