[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 0915
KEEP TITLE 42 IN PLACE
(Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the ongoing
crisis on our border with Mexico.
Last week, the CDC announced they would officially rescind their
title 42 order on May 23. Title 42 is an important tool for DHS to help
mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 and other infectious
diseases.
Title 42 health restrictions should be in place until we have border
security. Given the number of crossings we are seeing, we are far from
having a secure border.
CBP is encountering more than 5,500 migrants daily. Some reports
indicate that there could be upward of 18,000 migrants per day
encountered when title 42 is lifted next month. To put this in
perspective, President Obama's Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh
Johnson, stated in his tenure that 1,000 apprehensions a day would be
considered a bad day.
Over a year ago, I introduced my first piece of legislation, the
REACT Act, which would require DHS to test all migrants illegally
crossing our border for COVID-19.
It is time to work in a bipartisan manner to secure our border; halt
illegal drugs and human trafficking; support law enforcement; and
ensure the safety of all of our communities.
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