Op-Ed: Repealing Title 42 is only part of the immigration problem
By Steve Levy
If you were to listen to politicians and pundits pontificating on the illegal immigration disaster we have at our southern border, you would think that the issue’s success or failure hinges solely on the continuation of Title 42, which allows border agents to reject would-be unvaccinated border crossers.
While most common sense Americans would want to maintain this tool to help mitigate the onslaught of humanity pouring over our border, it is a red herring to suggest that simply extending Title 42 provisions will somehow cure the illegal immigration crisis we’ve been experiencing since Joe Biden took the helm in January 2021.
The flow of hundreds of thousands of immigrants illegally crossing the border has been occurring while Title 42 exclusions exist at this very moment.
While the situation can certainly get even worse were Title 42 removed, we would still be stuck with a status quo that has allowed 2 million illegal immigrants to filter into our nation.
Many members of Congress, fearing for their political lives, are all of a sudden making Title 42 the litmus test as to whether one supports chaos at the border. That’s nonsense. Where were these officials for the last two years as Joe Biden reversed the previous administration's successful “Remain in Mexico” policy?
Where were they when candidate Biden was telling the world he wanted to see a “surge” at the border?
Where have they been when various border security Congress members were introducing legislation to change the Unaccompanied Minors Act that has handcuffed border officials in their attempt to turn away underage border crossers?
At almost every turn, these weak members of Congress have looked the other way as this massive wave of trespassers crushed American sovereignty.
It’s no secret why some have been giving a wink and a nod to this reckless policy. It’s all a master plan to dramatically increase the number of new arrivals and thereafter provide amnesty, citizenship and voting privileges. In some cases, such as in New York City, they’re not even waiting for the citizenship stage; they are simply providing voting rights for non-citizens.
These vulnerable officials are now asking voters to forgive them for their lapses over the last year and a half, after having turned the nation upside down. They’re trying to hoodwink the voters into believing that their sudden opposition to revoking Title 42 is somehow an indication that they’ve gotten religion on the illegal immigration crisis.
Don’t fall for it. Unless they are willing to support bringing back the Remain in Mexico policy and revoking the Unaccompanied Minors Act, they will be showing their true colors.
They’re not entitled to a free pass this coming November after they’ve given a free pass to anyone in the hemisphere who wants to just waltz over our border and become a resident of the United States without waiting on line.
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Steve Levy is President of Common Sense Strategies, a political consulting firm. He served as Suffolk County Executive, as a NYS Assemblyman, and host of "The Steve Levy Radio Show." He is the author of “Solutions to America’s Problems” and “Bias in the Media.” www.SteveLevy.info, Twitter @SteveLevyNY, steve@commonsensestrategies.com