The mayor of McAllen, Texas, explained in a recent interview with Border Report that the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42 will pose both public safety and health risks, and he’s right.
“My position would be, ‘Do not lift Title 42 until I know that our community is 100% safe,’” Republican Mayor Javier Villalobos told the outlet on Monday.
Coronavirus, he said, is less common in the United States now than months ago. However, an increase in people coming from abroad could cause problems.
“If they do lift Title 42 look at what’s going on in different areas of the country,” Villalobos added.
“COVID still exists. A lot of people think just because we’re doing well it can stay that way but we are concerned about it.”
Notably, Villalobos said that the expected massive increase in people can put a greater strain on local charities as well as the federal government, which is already overwhelmed due to the administration’s poor handling of the crisis. ABC News reports that the Department of Homeland Security has estimated that officials could encounter 18,000 people each day at southern borders once the public health order has been lifted.
“My concern is if they lift (Title) 42 the numbers will be incredible. I don’t know whether Catholic Charities (of the Rio Grande Valley), with the assistance of McAllen or anybody else, is going to be able to take care of business,” he said, according to the outlet.
While the mayor does not take an official position about the legal status of the people coming to the U.S., it’s clear that having even more people show up at McAllen’s doorstep is problematic. McAllen is one of many border communities that are relatively safe. Villalobos also mentioned this. This can negatively impact their domestic reputation for those looking to move their businesses or families to McAllen.
“We take no position as to whether they are legal or illegal, whether they are entitled to immigration or asylum, or not. So our position is public safety and that’s what we do and we’ll keep on doing it as much as we can,” he continued.
Title 42 which expelled people from the United States because of health concerns is scheduled to be ended on May 23. According to The New York Post, however, the federal judge will decide whether that action is allowed to proceed this week.
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