El Paso Standard

With the deadline for the end of Title 42 less than a month away, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) recently took to social media and the airwaves to discuss the issues at the southern border, with blame landing on the Biden administration.

“We must hold the Biden administration accountable for the disaster they have created at our southern border,” Gonzales said in a Dec. 2 tweet. “Simply enforce the laws that are already on the books." The tweet included a linked video of Gonzales speaking on NewsMax.

Gonzales also tweeted on Dec. 1, saying, "Communities across #TX23 are bracing for the consequences of Title 42 ending. Removing existing policies without a replacement plan is a recipe for disaster."

The Public Health Services Act’s Title 42 is set to end on Dec. 21, a report by KFF said in May. It gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authority to deny foreign nationals entry into the country in order to help keep Americans safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the NewsMax interview, Gonzales noted that it is a priority to enforce the laws that are already on the books. He said if a person does not qualify for asylum or they have committed crimes in the U.S., “they should be removed immediately.” He called for deportations and added that he is aware this problem is not just a Texas issue. Gonzales said migrants have been arrested in northern cities like Chicago and Philadelphia as well.

“Change is coming and we have to hold this administration accountable,” he told NewsMax. “Part of that is ensuring they change policies. Instead of stripping away the few policies that work, they need to be adding policies that make sense.”

A November New York Post report said that Title 42 originally only applied to migrants coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Then, thousands of Venezuelans came to seek asylum and Title 42 was expanded. Information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that 40% of immigrants at the southern border are not allowed into the country due to Title 42. But a Washington Post report said that after the legislation ends, up to 18,000 people could attempt to cross the border each day. 

“Once title 42 goes away, it just means we’re going to be releasing even more people into the United States, which, of course, just encourages more people to come,” Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Union, told the New York Post. He is also worried that smuggling will be increased in Mexico and Latin American countries, and without Title 42 in place it will essentially be free to cross the border .