Democratic Lawmaker Urges Mayorkas to Work With GOP on Immigration Solution

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas participates in an interview with Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News in Washington on June 14, 2021. (DHS/U.S. government)

A Democrat member of Congress has demanded that President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas work with Republicans to find a bipartisan solution on immigration as Title 42 nears an end.

In her May 8 letter (pdf) to the Department of Homeland Security head, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) warned that the anticipated influx of unlawful border-crossers after Title 42 ends on May 11 could exacerbate an existing “humanitarian and refugee crisis” if nothing is done to mitigate it.

“As the President has decided to lift the [Title 42] order this week, we now face a doubling of illegal crossings at our southern border by some estimates, exacerbating the current humanitarian and refugee crisis,” Davids wrote.

“While you have presented a list of ways you plan to address the surge of migration, some of which I agree with, we still have not reached a comprehensive, long-term plan with bipartisan support.”

In her message, Davids said that any plan to help solve problems at the southern border would need the backing of both the Senate, currently controlled by Democrats, and the House, where Republicans hold the majority.

She pointed out that it will soon be one of the most important issues in her chamber as the GOP works on a bill to deal with immigration and the border as a whole.

“U.S. House Republicans plan to initiate debate about immigration reform in the coming weeks. I urge you and the White House to join me in engaging in these conversations about what the landscape for immigration reform in our country should look like,” she wrote.

Mayorkas has signaled a plan to deal with immigrants entering the United States illegally, saying they could face a new, expedited deportation process.

The new regulation “provides that individuals who do not access our lawful pathways will be presumed ineligible for asylum and will have a higher burden of proof, to overcome that assumption of ineligibility,” Mayorkas said at a news conference on May 5.

Davids advocated for a plan that would both secure the border and offer a path to citizenship for unlawful immigrants already residing in the United States.

“Ultimately, we need a comprehensive and bipartisan solution that is smart, humane, and true to our country’s values. That must include securing and protecting our borders along with a road map to citizenship,” Davids wrote. “You have had a year to engage prior to the lifting of Title 42, and I hope that you and the President both recommit to working with Congress to achieve real results.”

In March 2020, Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act of 1944 was implemented by the Trump administration. It permits the denial of asylum claims and the swift expulsion of the majority of illegal border-crossers on grounds of preventing the entry of contagious diseases into the United States.

Agents at the frontier were able to quickly return many illegal immigrants to Mexico under Title 42, thereby preventing the spread of COVID-19 in overcrowded detention facilities.

When Title 42 is repealed, all illegal immigrants will be processed under Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which currently takes longer than Title 42 and only allows the expulsion of illegal immigrants that don’t qualify for asylum.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment on the letter, saying, “DHS responds to Congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded to The Epoch Times’s request for comment on the letter, saying, “DHS responds to Congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight.”