Sen. Mark Kelly sees end of Title 42 as 'real challenge' for Arizona
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Sen. Mark Kelly said Arizona faces a "real challenge" with the end of Title 42 at hand, a message notably distant from the White House's predictions that the Biden administration is prepared for an expected influx of migrants.
Kelly, D-Ariz., has long stood apart from President Joe Biden on the government's ability to end pandemic-era restrictions on immigrants, including those seeking asylum. without unleashing a new round of woes on border communities unable to absorb the new population on economic and humanitarian fronts.
On Tuesday, he issued a measured statement on the scheduled end of Title 42 on Thursday night.
"Arizona has been on the frontlines of this border crisis year after year," Kelly said. "It’s why I have continued to push Washington to quickly mobilize resources and improve coordination with border officials, law enforcement, and nonprofits providing humanitarian assistance.
"This is going to be a real challenge for our state and I will keep working closely with the governor, border leaders, and the Biden Administration to get the necessary resources to provide a secure, orderly, and humane border response."
More reactions: No one in Arizona's congressional delegation is optimistic about what comes after Title 42
Title 42, a pandemic-era health policy, allows border officials to rapidly expel migrants and closes official ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers, with a few exceptions made through humanitarian parole. Former President Donald Trump invoked Title 42 in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
On Monday, senior administration officials told reporters that processing centers with stepped-up resources and a promise of stiffer sanctions for those who violate immigration laws would eventually lead to a more orderly, lawful effort to enter the U.S.
Despite the effort to suggest border operations will be orderly, Kelly, and others in Congress, have expressed their doubts.
In November, Kelly, along with three other senators, including Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., wrote to Homeland Security Department officials expressing "deep concerns" about what the end of Title 42 would mean for all involved, from governmental workers to the migrants themselves.
In March 2022, Kelly and Sinema wrote to the White House noting that Homeland Security had still not "developed and implemented a sufficient plan to maintain a humane and orderly process."
Kelly noted that he has helped secure federal funds to improve Border Patrol recruitment, supply nonprofits and close gaps in border barriers in some locations. He said he has been in contact with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and local Arizona authorities.
On the eve of the program's end, others are wary about the government's readiness.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who had called a year ago and again in January for the end of Title 42, acknowledged the areas around the border are unprepared.
"I’ve heard directly from leaders in our border communities and it’s abundantly clear that they, through no fault of their own, are simply unequipped to handle the surge of migrants that are expected when Title 42 ends," Gallego said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Mark Kelly sees end of Title 42 as real challenge for Arizona
