For weeks, Republicans have attacked the Biden administration for trying to end Title 42, the Trump-era health order that has allowed officials to quickly turn away migrants.
Now, the Democrat leading his party’s efforts to keep control of the U.S. House in November is joining the criticism.
“You can’t just throw it open and hope for the best, you have to have a plan,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in an interview with Spectrum News.
“Right now, I don’t think anyone can seriously tell you that we are ready to do this on May 23,” he added. “It’s very important to me that they slow down long enough to get a real plan so that we do not have chaos at the border.”
Maloney, a representative from New York, said the administration has not adequately prepared to implement the policy. The lack of planning and any chaos caused by ending Title 42 could reflect poorly on Democrats.
“Of course it will, of course it will. The fact is that we are the governing party and people out there have the right to respect that we know how to run a lemonade stand and if we don’t get it right, that’s on us. That’s why I’m saying we need to take the time to do this properly,” he said.
Maloney said the White House has been receptive to his concerns and those of other moderate Democrats who see ending the policy as a major political liability ahead of a tough midterm election.
“We talk to them everyday about this,” he said. “Remember, they are under some pressure from some courts who have said ‘it’s time to lift this,’ it’s not like they are unmindful of the challenge here.”
Progressive Democrats have been calling on Biden to end title 42 since shortly after he took office. The House Hispanic Caucus says the focus should be on improving on how the U.S. handles migrants.
“Title 42 should be lifted and we should be focusing on border management policy,” said Rep. Raul Ruiz, a Democrat who heads the Hispanic Caucus Chair during a press conference at the White House earlier this week.
A judge has temporarily halted the administration’s plan to end Title 42. As the issue continues to divide Democrats, the White House said President Biden is challenging lawmakers to come up with a solution to fix the immigration system.
