As Title 42 Ends, DHS Plans to Accommodate Expected Surge of Illegal Immigration, Rather than Prevent It, Charges FAIR

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in response to the Department of Homelands Security's plan to deal with an expected surge of illegal migration when Title 42 ends.

"For months, the Biden administration has been pressed to present a plan to deal with even greater surges of illegal immigration after Title 42 is formally ended on May 11. Today, the Department of Homeland Security finally rolled out a 'plan' that amounts to the same failed policies that resulted in record levels of illegal immigration, only on steroids.

"Today's announcement by the Biden administration, billed as 'sweeping new actions to manage regional migration,' does not even make a pretense that it is designed to prevent or deter even larger numbers of migrants from entering the country. Rather, it is a massive scheme to process migrants and disburse them around the country as quickly as possible.

"The effort to 'manage' even greater levels of illegal migration further abuses parole authority to admit people who do not have visas and creates new regional processing centers that serve as assembly lines to move people into the United States. By the administration's own estimates, the number of migrants attempting to enter the country when Title 42 ends could reach as high as 18,000 a day – or about 540,000 per month.

"DHS's plan claims that migrants who cross the border illegally will be subject to expedited removal, but that is a hollow threat that is designed to convince the American public that they are attempting to enforce immigration laws, which they have adamantly refused to do since the day President Biden took office. It is not a plan to deter illegal entry. In reality, it is an open invitation to foreign nationals to make specious claims for asylum, under which they will be allowed to enter the United States while they wait as long as ten years for a hearing on their cases.

"The plan also includes expanded abuse of presidential parole authority to admit people from a growing number of countries who have family members in the United States. Parole is not a lawful pathway for immigrants. We already have that—it's called a visa.

"The DHS plan amounts to a massive and illegal scheme designed to accommodate unlimited numbers of migrants in defiance of the department's statutory obligation to deter and prevent illegal immigration. It is the same failed strategy that has already resulted in more than 7 million illegal entries in just the first 26 months of this administration. Expanding these policies, as the DHS plan proposes, will do irreparable damage to the country that will be felt for generations to come."

Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or [email protected].

ABOUT FAIR 

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)