Both the federal government and individual states are anticipating the Biden administration’s ending of Title 42 Wednesday, a pandemic-era immigration control. Some estimates believe that the end of this policy will result in more than 10,000 migrants crossing the southern border each day.
The Biden administration admitted that the end of the measure may lead to significant issues along the border.
The president said that he recently spoke to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and that the two nations are working closely together.
However, Biden said that the situation “remains to be seen.”
“It’s going to be chaotic for a while,” he said.
The White House warned in January that the end of the policy would “allow thousands of migrants per day into the country.”
BREAKING NEWS: Border flooded by 10,000 migrants a day, setting new record https://t.co/rgaPherjRF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 10, 2023
Title 42 was enacted during the coronavirus pandemic by former President Donald Trump. The policy allowed the federal government to quickly remove migrants who illegally crossed the border.
The pandemic-era policy has sharply reduced the number of migrants crossing the border.
The end of Title 42 also sparked action by a number of state and local governments.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said announced the creation of the Texas Tactical Border Force, which is intended to stem the flow of migrants into the Lone Star State.
The force includes approximately 10,000 members of the Texas National Guard and more than 1,000 police to seal gaps along the border.
Abbott said that the end of the immigration policy meant that “President Biden is laying down the welcome mat to people across the entire world.”
The governor said that the state would use “specially trained soldiers,” as well as C-130 aircraft and Blackhawk helicopters for the operation.
Abbott spoke alongside several state officials earlier this week. The program is part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which started in March 2021.
The state has been able to detain almost 400,000 illegal immigrants, including almost 30,000 arrests since its inception.
Texas also announced the capture of “more than 400 million lethal doses of fentanyl,” which it notes is enough to kill the entire population of the United States.
