Mayorkas Says DHS Preparing For Estimated 18K Daily Surge In Migrants

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday said that the department has been gearing up for the possible entry of as many as 18,000 migrants per day after the highly-debated Title 42 order is lifted. The Trump-era order has been used by border authorities to turn down migrants for reasons related to public health safety.

When asked by CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash if the number previously predicted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of about 18,000 migrants daily was possible after Title 42 is lifted, Mayorkas said, “What we do is we prepare and we plan, and we’ve been doing so for months understanding that the Title 42 authority that the CDC holds is not going to be around forever…”

Bash pressed Mayorkas about the projected 18,000 migrants that the DHS estimated earlier, asking if the department is actually prepared for the massive number. “It is our responsibility to be prepared for different scenarios, and that is what we are doing,” Mayorkas said.

But he admitted that if the projection does take place, it will put an “extraordinary strain” on the system, and added that “the plan we have prepared calls for a number of different actions not just in the domestic arena, but also with our partners to the South.”

Regarding doubts from his fellow Democrats about the DHS’ preparations in case of a massive surge in migrants after the Title 42 lifting, Mayorkas insisted that his department had been planning for the possible surge “for months and months.”

Bash also asked Mayorkas if his statement last year to migrants, “Do not come,” remains the same. Mayorkas immediately said it’s “the same, because our border’s not open.”

The Biden administration is looking to lift Title 42 on May 23. However, Louisiana Judge Robert Summerhays last week temporarily blocked the plan by barring the DHS from taking further steps in winding down the order for at least two weeks, and by ordering a May 13 hearing to determine if Title 42 should be retained beyond May 23, NBC News reported. DHS officials told the outlet that they planned to comply with Summerhays’ order.

Earlier in April, the states of Louisiana, Arizona and Missouri filed a lawsuit over the Biden administration’s plans to rescind Title 42, The Hill reported. The suit focused on the argument that lifting the order would result in a surge in migrants at the border, which could then lead to overwhelmed federal and state resources.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had suggested the possibility of impeaching Mayorkas over the border crisis, noting that "if someone is derelict in their job, there is always the possibility of impeaching somebody."