Democrats preparing for competitive Senate races in 2024 have bucked President Joe Biden’s decision to end a pandemic-era immigration restriction, raising concerns about whether the country is prepared for a surge in migrants crossing the border with Mexico.
The policy, known as Title 42, expires at midnight Wednesday as the Covid public health emergency also comes to an end. But Democrats in competitive Senate races have called on the administration to provide more resources at the southern border, drawing a contrast with Biden as Republicans prepare to tie them to his administration.
Three of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election — Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio — have signed onto a bill extending provisions similar to Title 42 for two more years. All three represent states former President Donald Trump won in 2020.
Both Tester and Brown backed the bill this week. Brown told reporters that more resources are needed at the southern border, adding, “I don’t think presidents of either party have really stepped up on this,” according to Cleveland.com.
Tester also backed the proposal on Wednesday, saying in a statement, “My top priority is defending Montana and keeping our nation safe, plain and simple. That means standing up to anyone, including President Biden, to secure the southern border and to stop the deadly flow of fentanyl into our communities.”
Manchin, who has not yet said if he is running for another term, signed on as an original co-sponsor, saying in a statement that “the Administration has failed to properly secure our southern border.”
Other Democrats who haven’t backed the proposal have still sharply criticized the Biden administration.
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, also a top GOP target next year, signed onto a letter with two other state Democrats, writing to Biden that they have “strong concerns that the federal government is still insufficiently prepared for the reality that Title 42 is coming to an end,” raising concerns about “a lack of resources to secure our border.”
Two more Democratic Senate hopefuls, who both hail from southern border states, also raised concerns about how the Biden administration has prepared for Title 42’s expiration.
“As Title 42 ends, it’s clear the Biden Administration has fallen short on getting Texas border communities the support they need, as multiple previous administrations have before,” Texas Rep. Colin Allred said in a Wednesday statement.
Last week, Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego authored letters addressed to Biden and other administration officials, writing that communities along the southern border in Arizona “are simply unequipped to handle the surge of migrants” and adding that he has “heard repeated concerns about a lack of information around federal government policy that directly impacts Arizonans, our communities, and our local economies.”
Gallego is running for the seat held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who co-authored the bill extending immigration powers under Title 42 for two more years. Sinema, a former Democrat, has not yet said if she is running for re-election.
Some of these Democrats had previously called for Title 42 to end. In June 2020, Brown and Rosen signed a letter to former President Donald Trump calling for the "immediate rescission" of multiple asylum policies, including Title 42. Gallego also signed a letter last year urging Biden to "undo the United States’ draconian immigration policies, particularly policies introduced under the Trump Administration, such as the use of Title 42, that circumvent our humanitarian obligations."
