Texas governor warns of 'total chaos' on border when Title 42 ends this week

WASHINGTON – The southern border will be overwhelmed this week by the end of a pandemic policy that allows the federal government to rapidly expel migrants, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Sunday.

“It’s going to be total chaos,” Abbott told ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

A Trump-era policy known as Title 42,  which permits Customs and Border Protection to expel migrants without the usual legal review to Mexico or to their home countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities, will expire Wednesday unless the Supreme Court intervenes.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday blocked an effort by Republican officials in 19 states, including Texas and Arizona, to intervene in the case.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency Saturday in response to the worsening immigration crisis.

"This is something you do when there's a hurricane, a fire or an earthquake," Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said on CBS' "Face the Nation. "What is happening is,  it's a hurricane of migrants, and everyone is impacted."

Leeser said daily apprehensions and street releases could rise as high as 6,000 per day.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday the administration is extensively preparing to manage the boarder "in a safe and humane way” when Title 42 ends.

Next stop Supreme Court?: Appeals court clears the way to end removal of migrants under Title 42

The latest

• Title 42 has been used to expel migrants more than 2.4 million times since its implementation. Tens of thousands of migrants have been kept waiting in Mexican border cities to request asylum in the United States.

• The Biden administration announced in April that it intended to wind down the policy.

• Last month, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington vacated the policy and gave the Biden administration until Dec. 21 to end it.

• The administration appealed the decision but was moving to end its use next week.

What's about to happen

The states trying to keep the policy in place previously signaled they were preparing to appeal an adverse ruling to the Supreme Court, likely on its emergency docket.

In a statement on Saturday, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said the states would appeal Friday's decision by the D.C. Circuit.

Growing crisis: El Paso mayor declares state of emergency with approaching end of Title 42

What the Biden administration is saying

Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say Thursday how many migrants are expected to cross into the United States once Title 42 is lifted.

She said the Department of Homeland Security is surging resources to the border, doubling down on anti-smuggling operations and working with other countries to “discourage disorderly mass movements across the border.”

Jean-Pierre said the administration also needs Congress to provide the necessary funding for border security and to pass comprehensive immigration reform. She accused Republicans of being more interested in “political stunts” than in working with the administration to solve the problem.

Contributing: John Fritze, USA TODAY; Adam Powell, El Paso Times

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Title 42 end will bring chaos at border, Texas governor Abbott warns