Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday his agency is preparing to handle a possible daily flood of migrants when the Title 42 pandemic border shutdown is lifted later this month.
DHS officials said earlier this year it could see as many as 18,000 migrants per day along the southern border after Title 42 gets lifted.
“There is no question that if we reach that number that is going to be an extraordinary strain on our system, but we are preparing for it,” Mr. Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The Biden administration is seeking to end the COVID rule, which has blocked millions of border crossings, on May 23.
Mr. Mayorkas said he “respectfully” disagrees with Democrats that have criticized the administration’s plan as too little too late.
Mr. Mayorkas said his department has been working for “months and months” on a “multifaceted” plan in preparation for the change that includes directing more resources and personnel to the border and working with partners in Central America.
“We are intensifying our efforts,” Mr. Mayorkas said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We are adding resources to it to address the potential for an increase in migration once Title 42 comes to an end.”
Mr. Mayorkas also threw cold water on the idea of resurrecting the Asylum Cooperative Agreements deals, also known as “safe third country” agreements, that the Trump administration struck with Central American countries to stem the flow of people across their territory en route to the U.S.
The Biden administration rescinded those agreements, as part of its push to distance itself from Trump-era immigration policies.
“I don’t think there would be many experts who would consider Guatemala a safe third country,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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