New Mexico State Rep. Jim Townsend (R-Artesia) made comments recently about the end of Title 42, the complications it could cause the immigration system and how it will affect New Mexicans.
According to NBC News, Title 42 is a COVID-era policy whereby immigrants can be expelled from the U.S. without any consideration for asylum, outwardly in order to stop the spread of COVID. Adopted in 2020 under President Trump, Title 42 has been kept in place through the Biden administration which now seeks to to end the policy.
National border officials have said that they expect an increase in the number of immigrants at the southern border, something that some local New Mexican officials agree with, as Title 42 expires on May 11, KRQE News reports.
“Before Title 42 expires [May 11], I wanted to thank all our border agents and staff, especially our Otero County Processing Center, for their tireless and thankless work on border security,” Townsend said in a press release. “Unfortunately, elected leaders from [President Joe] Biden to [New Mexico Governor] Lujan Grisham have allowed this crisis to crescendo to what exists today. There are tools and opportunities to provide safety for our border communities and those crossing legally. Despite these humanitarian concerns, progressives back an agenda of open borders that threaten not only the lives and security of Americans but also those vulnerable and fleeing migrants looking for better opportunities. America can do better. We should welcome migrants with a process and not open borders that proliferate human trafficking and force migrant families to begin their lives in the same crisis that they left their home country.
“Facilities like the Otero County Processing Center provide critically needed jobs for our citizens and support the protection of our borders as well as the safety of the migrant population that is too often taken advantage of by criminals during times like these. As Title 42 expires [May 11] we must immediately protect our borders and provide needed changes to our immigration policy. Our Border Patrol and ICE officers protect our citizens and our borders as well as the migrants, and I join many Americans and New Mexicans in thanking them for their selfless service.”
With Title 42 expiring, it is expected to be replaced by Title 8, which is a much stricter policy. According to the Department of Homeland Security, under Title 42, immigrants expelled at the border for arriving unlawfully can still come back later without penalty. Under Title 8, immigrants arriving at U.S. borders unlawfully will receive a five-year ban from entering the U.S. and could face harsher punishments if they come back. Border officials are encouraging migrants to use the CBPOne App at the border in order to be processed legally.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that for March of this year, New Mexico has seen a 77-percent increase in number of migrant encounters with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with 24,644 monthly encounters compared to 13,915 monthly encounters from the same time period last year.
