Arizona Democratic governor slams Biden for leaving state to handle end of Title 42 ‘ALONE’: Katie Hobbs says White House response was not ‘adequate’ – and must help before wave of migrants gets ‘worse’
- Arizona governor Katie Hobbs said Biden has not given an ‘adequate response’ to concerns about the end of Title 42
- Hobbs said she has not received a response to letters she has sent to the administration describing what could help ease the border crisis
- Thousands of migrants queue at the southern border waiting to enter the US from Mexico once Title 42 is lifted Thursday
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is unhappy with Joe Biden’s handling of the migrant crisis on the southern border, and particularly with the president’s decision to end Title 42 without other security arrangements in place.
The Democrat said at a news conference Monday that Biden has not provided an “adequate response” to her letters outlining what measures are needed in her border state before the end of eviction policies during the pandemic era on Thursday.
She also said she expects the situation at the border will only get “worse” if nothing is done to help once Title 42 ends.
There are only two days left before more chaos is expected to ensue at the southern border, with an estimated peak of up to 13,000 crossings per day – up from the current average of 7,700.
Hobbs said during her press conference that she had sent letters to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas outlining the action she believes, as the leader of a border state, must be taken before Title 42 expires May 11.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said at a news conference Monday that President Joe Biden has failed to provide an “adequate response” to letters detailing concerns about Title 42 ending without a replacement policy in place
“As of today, we have not received an adequate response,” Hobbs told reporters as she stood next to state and border community leaders.
She added, “We will continue to press relentlessly on the federal government until we actually get the resources we need to manage the expected influx.”
The governor does not think the state is prepared to handle the expected influx of migrants on its own.
“While we are prepared to take action any way we can, we cannot handle this influx alone,” Hobbs said.
“Without much firmer action from the federal government, the current situation will only get worse.”
According to Raul Ortiz, chief of customs and border police, the numbers are quickly rising at the border, with 26,382 encounters with migrants in just 72 hours. This means that the average increased by 1,000 per day just in the days leading up to the end of Title 42.
Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls confirmed that Arizona is already seeing a wave of crossings in border communities.
“This isn’t going to stop anytime soon and it’s disturbing,” he said during the press conference with Hobbs.
Biden and Mayorkas assure that the government has prepared for the end of the pandemic policy. The president tried twice to end the policy last May and again in December, but was stopped by legal action.
As of May 11, immigration authorities will no longer use Title 42 to deport migrants without hearing their asylum applications. It’s the same day the three-year public health emergency ends.
Thousands of migrants are already lining up at the southern border, waiting to enter the US from Mexico once Title 42 is lifted Thursday. Pictured: An aerial view of migrants waiting at the border fence on May 8, hoping to apply for asylum on May 11
Many local leaders in border states lamented Biden’s inaction in addressing the crisis, with many claiming that there was no communication with the government regarding the end of Title 42.
Title 42 was first introduced in March 2020 under then-President Donald Trump as a way to suppress illegal immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic-turned-independent Democrat, also has her doubts about the end of Title 42 and how the government is handling migration.
She told CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday that Biden and his team have not communicated with local officials about expected surges or how the federal government plans to move migrants so as not to overwhelm border states.
In an effort to pre-emptively mitigate the crisis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent hundreds of National Guardsmen to the border on Monday, including members of his state’s elite Tactical Border Force.
President Biden also sent 1,500 active duty troops to the border earlier this month.