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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Tuesday said it will be “chaotic” at the border when an emergency immigration restriction tied to the pandemic ends Thursday.
Asked if the country is ready for the expected surge of migrants into the U.S., Biden said his administration is doing everything it can to prepare.
“But it remains to be seen,” he told reporters. “It’s going to be chaotic for a while.”
Hundreds of migrants are already sleeping on downtown sidewalks of El Paso and overflowing the city’s shelters.
Biden’s comments were more candid than the message his press secretary sent hours earlier about the lifting of Title 42, which allows easier expulsion of migrants.
“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesday’s daily briefing.
Biden said he spoke with Mexico’s president for nearly an hour Tuesday and is getting “overwhelming cooperation from Mexico.”
Even some Democrats, including Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, have raised concerns about preparedness.
“We have not received an adequate response,” Hobbs said Monday. “We will continue to relentlessly pressure the federal government until we truly get the resources we need to manage the expected influx.”
Asked about Hobbs’ concerns, Jean-Pierre pointed to $45.5 million in federal funds recently sent to Arizona organizations providing food, shelter and other assistance to migrants. She said the administration remains in close contact with border communities in Arizona and other states about what’s needed.
Other steps the administration has taken to prepare include:
- Sending 1,500 more troops to the border — in addition to about 2,500 National Guard troops already there – to free up the Department of Homeland Security’s 24,000 agents and officers to focus on frontline duties.
- Shifting hundreds more asylum officers and immigration judges to speed up the processing of migrants.
- Expanding holding capacity while also increasing the number of removal flights.
- Giving migrants alternative ways to seek asylum while promising to crack down on those who don’t follow the rules.
Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants during the pandemic.
The changing of the policy, and the uncertainty about what happens next, has already prompted a surge of migrants.
Crossings into Yuma, Ariz., have more than tripled between a month ago and Sunday, according to Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls.
“This is not stopping anytime soon, and it’s very troubling,” he said Monday.
Administration officials have said they’re doing everything legally possible, but their tools are limited because Congress has failed to address underlying issues.
Contributing: The Arizona Republic, El Paso Times.
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