TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a week, the Federal Government will stop enforcing a COVID health rule that resulted in far fewer asylum seekers entering the U.S. It also made it much easier to deport people already here.
The end of Title 42 has raised fears communities will be overwhelmed by a surge of migrants.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema says she is pushing Homeland Security to be sure shelters have what they need to keep migrants from being released to the streets.
The Trump administration invoked part of Public Health law called Title 42 to make it easier to turn away asylum seekers, Now the Biden Administration is declaring the COVID emergency over as of May 11th. And there are fears when Title 42 lifts, so many people will try to come in they will overwhelm the system.
Title 42 led to large groups waiting on the Mexican side of the border. The law allows them to try to prove they would be in danger in their original country but Title 42 used the public health emergency as an argument to turn them away.
Now, with Title 42 enforcement about to end, Senator Kyrsten Sinema says she and Senator Mark Kelly are prodding Homeland Security to be sure there’s enough support for shelters like Casa Alitas to be sure they don’t become so overcrowded that Federal Immigration officials release migrants to the streets.
Sinema says she got 800 million dollars in the Federal Budget to help cover the cost.
“I'm urging the Department of Homeland Security to get those resources out to Casa Alitas as quickly as possible and to rent more buses, hire more drivers and ensure that we're actually doing the right work to prepare for this surge.”
In a Homeland Security subcommittee Sinema heard from Southern Arizona leaders worried about the end of Title 42.
Deputy Pima County Administrator Doctor Francisco Garcia worried about the impact on the entire community if street releases happen.
“Having 1000s of people with limited resources, limited English skills, trying to figure out how to get to other parts of the country that is unfamiliar to them with no food and little money. No place to sleep is deleterious to the health, safety and welfare of everybody in this county.
Senator Sinema says President Biden had two years to be better prepared than we are for the expected surge but she says much of where we are today is the result of 40 years of failure by Presidents and their administrations.