Title 42 is about to come to an end, and Florida Republicans are sounding the alarm. Today, the Congressional Hispanic Conference held a presser on border security. Republicans like Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) have issued statements this week, warning of the danger that Title 42’s end poses.
On social media, Rep. Gimenez shared a clip of his speech during the presser in front of the Capitol.
In his comments, Rep. Gimenez shared that “a couple of weeks ago we sat with Chief Ortiz of Custom and Border Patrol, and he stated to us that 5 of the 9 sectors of the Southern Border, they had lost operational control. Now, think about that. We have lost – the United States of America has lost – operational control of more than half of its southern border.”
🚨🚨#BREAKING At the Congressional Hispanic Conference Presser on Border Security:
“The United States of America has lost operational control of our Southern Border.” pic.twitter.com/WXkOtTNZFu
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) April 18, 2023
In Texas, a state that has also taken a firm stance on immigration concerns at the border, Governor Abbott issued remarks in McAllen, Texas. In his remarks, the Texas Governor discussed his border initiative and the related legislative priorities. Officials from Hidalgo County and McAllen expressed their concerns regarding the end of Title 42.
Abbott argued that the end of Title 42 will deplete resources of the border counties and the entire state.
In his comments, Abbott expressed that “every county in Texas is now a border County. And so, I appreciate the extent to which we have sheriffs who are not geographically located on the county, I mean, on the border to still be here. And even if they’re not here to remain a part of the process of advocating for the needs of Texas stepping up as a state and the United States stepping up as a country.”
At the end of last year, the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden (D) from terminating Title 42. In response to the ruling, President Biden commented that "the court is not going to decide until June apparently and in the meantime we have to enforce it, but I think it's overdue."
