Update (1700ET): Fox News correspondent Hillary Vaughan confirmed, via a brief Twitter thread, that the Biden administration is preparing for the surge in migrants citing a source within CBP who has worked in law enforcement for 20+ years - who is familiar with the process - who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity - who told her that DHS is bracing for as many as 500,000 migrants in the six weeks following Title 42 being lifted.
Her thread continues:
The CBP source telling me “If half a million people come in one month - that’s an emergency. There is no way we have enough federal agents and NGO’s and NGA’s. There’s not enough people going around. It’s literally going to be a revolving door. Getting people in - getting people out.”
CBP source says DHS is trying to figure out how to get enough medical personnel to provide the COVID vaccines the Biden administration promised migrants - as well as staff to handle any medical issues many migrants will have.
One idea being floated: pulling medical personnel from Veterans Affairs to assist “We’re going to take medical services away from people that really deserve that. Who went to combat…to give free medical attention to illegal migrants” CBP source tell me.
This CBP source tells me that due to the wave of migrants they are expecting after Title 42 lifts - Biden Admin is looking at doing NTA’s (notices to appear) with “minimal biometric data and vetting” to expedite processing.
This CBP source tells me that could mean skipping critical paperwork and vetting that would confirm they have the right name and date of birth for the person entering.
A CBP source tells me the Biden Admin is also looking at deploying a smart app for migrants to use to submit to pre-screening. There is talk of expanding the “CBP1 App” for migrants so they can submit pre-screening prior to approaching a point-of-entry.
This source telling me the “CBP1 app was originally devised to make it easier for known travelers to enter and go across the border…it’s now being thought of to use as an easy way for folks to get in”
CBP source tells me the Biden administration is preparing for double the number of migrants that came in 2021 - in the year after Title 42 lifts - “I would say its conservative to say double what came in last year”
Does anyone else think this sounds like yet another opportunity for the Biden administration to shoot itself in the foot ahead of the Midterms?
* * *
As The Epoch Times' Mimi Nguyen Ly detailed earlier, The White House was asked on Wednesday to comment on a report that said the Biden administration is expected to end a Trump-era immigration policy, known as Title 42.
The Title 42 policy implemented under the Trump administration in March 2020 enabled border agents to expel illegal immigrants back to Mexico immediately if they potentially pose a health risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported, citing anonymous sources, that the Biden administration, which has continued the policy, is expected to end it by May 23.
White House director of communications Kate Bedingfield was asked by a reporter whether the administration is “prepared to deal with the aftermath of ending Title 42 and the expected influx of migrants.”
Bedingfield did not confirm the AP report. She responded that the decision as to whether the administration would end Title 42 is “not an immigration or migration enforcement measure” but a “public health directive.”
“So the decision on when to lift Title 42 we defer to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)],” she said.
The CDC is currently weighing up whether or not it will end Title 42 policy, and has until March 30 to complete its review.
‘Influx of People to the Border’
She continued, “That being said, of course we are planning for multiple contingencies, and we have every expectation that when the CDC ultimately decides it’s appropriate to lift Title 42, there will be an influx of people to the border.”
Bedingfield said the administration is “doing a lot of work to plan for the contingency.” She noted that on Tuesday the Department of Homeland Security held a briefing to review the plans it has to prepare for a potential spike in illegal immigrants at the border.
“So you heard from them yesterday on some of the planning that they’re doing more broadly—now, not specifically tied to Title 42 or an ultimate decision to lift it, but just more broadly to the work that they’re doing to continue to build up our migration system and ensure that we are restoring order at the border.”
DHS officials told reporters on Tuesday of contingency plans which include a scenario in which up to 18,000 border crossings could be seen per day. Currently, Border Patrol is seeing about 7,100 illegal immigrants a day.
“We need to be prepared for what we’re considering a potential contingency, which is that the lifting of Title 42 could increase flows,” a senior DHS official told reporters during the background briefing, multiple outlets reported.
The DHS on Wednesday released a fact sheet titled “DHS Preparations for a Potential Increase in Migration.” Without citing Title 42, the department noted “unprecedented levels of migration” to the border and that it is “implementing a comprehensive strategy to address a potential increase in the number of border encounters.”
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said on March 29 that the United States is on track to hit a million illegal alien encounters at the U.S.–Mexico border in the fiscal year 2022. The United States logged over 2 million illegal immigrant arrests in 2021.
Previously, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) led a group of Republican senators in issuing a letter (pdf) to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on March 24, urging the department to prepare in case Title 42 is lifted by the CDC. They said Title 42 is an “effective deterrent to illegal border crossings” and that lifting it would threaten to overwhelm the “already strained immigration system” and will exacerbate the situation at the border.
Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) also expressed concerns, writing in a March 24 letter (pdf) to President Joe Biden that the administration should, before making changes to Title 42, coordinate a “comprehensive plan that ensures a secure, orderly, and humane process at the border.”
The two Arizona senators on Wednesday discussed with Mayorkas about the prospect of ending Title 42 and the effects on local communities in the state if there is no plan to handle the influx of illegal immigrants. Sinema called for DHS to coordinate communications between federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners to strengthen cooperation, a strategy Mayorkas agreed to.
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