Newhouse Extends Title 42 Authority, Securing Southern Border

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced an amendment to the Homeland Security FY 2023 Appropriations Bill to extend Title 42 authority until 180 days after the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic is deemed over. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

“Since President Biden took office, border crossings have skyrocketed, spurred along by his open-border policies and extreme rhetoric,” said Rep. Newhouse. “What’s mind-boggling is that the Biden Administration would seek to remove Title 42, one of our last defenses against becoming an open-border country—on the grounds that the pandemic is over—while claiming the pandemic is ongoing. My amendment will give our already-inundated border patrol agents the time and tools they need to ensure our border is secure and our communities are safe.”

In fiscal year (FY) 2021, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had 1,734,686 total migrant encounters at America’s Southwest Border, which is the highest number of border encounters on record for any fiscal year. Additionally, roughly 10,000 migrants with criminal convictions were arrested as they attempted to illegally cross our Southern Border in FY21, compared to 2,438 in FY20. CBP also seized over twice as much fentanyl in FY21 (over 10,000 pounds) than it did in the previous fiscal year, which is enough to kill the entire U.S. population over seven times. The Biden Administration’s open-border policies and rhetoric have directly contributed to this ongoing crisis.

Click here to read the full text of the amendment.

Background:

Here are some of the actions Rep. Newhouse has taken against the Biden Administration’s planned rollback of Title 42:

• On April 8, 2022, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking answers on the Administration’s plans to secure the border and support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after the Title 42 policy is lifted.

• On April 12, 2022, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging DHS to reverse its decision to rescind the Department's Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal, or "expedited removal" policy.

• On April 19, 2022, Rep. Newhouse filed an amicus brief with 53 Members of Congress on the Biden Administration’s irresponsible decision to terminate Title 42. This brief supports the Title 42 injunction lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Arizona, and Missouri Attorneys General.

• On April 25, 2022, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas highlighting his many failures in securing our southern border and asking for him to provide an explanation about his refusal to uphold the law—particularly concerning detaining and releasing illegal aliens, maintaining operational control over the southern border, and the cost associated with stopping construction of the border wall.

###