This week, criticism spread to governors in two southwestern swing states, Arizona and Nevada. Katie Hobbes, Arizona’s secretary of state and a favorite for the Democratic nomination for governor, called on Biden to overturn his “hasty decision” and said removing Section 42 “without a clear plan to secure our border would be a disaster.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are intervening.
The National Republican Senate Commission, a division of the Senate Republican Party campaign, launched a $ 1 million television advertising campaign Thursday, linking Sen. Mark Kelly to Biden’s move over the Arizona Democrat’s vote in August against an amendment that would require an internal Department. to expel migrants who enter the country illegally and may contribute to the spread of Covid-19.
“Kelly voted to allow the removal of restrictions, which will lead to a huge new increase in borders,” said a narrator in the ad. “Tell the dream. Kelly: Stop voting with Biden and against Arizona.
Kelly’s campaign spokeswoman Sarah Guggenheimer objected, saying the senator “provided increased resources for border security, introduced bipartisan legislation to tackle the crisis, and opposed both the Biden administration and his own party to ensure a safe , a humane and orderly process at the border. ”
The Biden Defense Administration
The Biden administration is on track to end Title 42 on May 23. The decision by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has raised concerns about the increase in migrants.
Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN this week that his department had “plans” to deal with the expected jump. But he would not give details.
“I think we have to keep a lot in mind that we are turning to enemies, and those enemies are the cartels and the smugglers, and I will not give them our plans. We will continue with our execution, carefully, methodically, in anticipation of different scenarios, “he said.
Vulnerable Democrat lawmakers plan to use a House of Representatives hearing with the Majors next week to distance themselves from the Biden administration’s decision, congressional officials say. They plan to crush the secretary, whose answers could offer a window on how the White House will defend its position.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the administration was “planning and preparing” for the repeal of Title 42 on May 23rd, but remained open to talks with lawmakers on immigration reform.
More than 20 states, mostly led by the Republican Party, on Thursday asked a federal judge in Louisiana to immediately block the administration from terminating Title 42. The administration on Friday asked the judge to reject the request.
The Democratic Division under Title 42 confronts candidates in different states and vulnerable incumbents against not only Biden’s White House, but also the more progressive Democrats and defenders of immigration.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is among the most vocal supporters of lifting border restrictions in Title 42. Last month, Sumer, along with Democrats Alex Padilla of California and Bob Menendez and Corey Booker of New Jersey, said. that “there is no benefit to public health from sending asylum seekers back to harm” and called on Biden to “stop breathing new life into this inhuman policy of Trump.” Three weeks later, the administration announced it would lift pandemic restrictions. running for re-election this year, including Georgia Sen. Rafael Warnock, has been condemned by the left for criticizing Biden’s move to repeal Title 42. Kelly and New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan, who both visited the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this month, he signed a Republican-backed bill that would delay the repeal, criticizing Republicans for signing a June 2020 letter urging Trump withdraw what the letter calls a “CDC ban on asylum.”
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who leads the Senate Democratic Group, said this week that the Biden administration may need to postpone the repeal of Title 42 until a clearer plan is in place to curb the flow of migrants to the south. border.
The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee said he understood why his colleagues running for re-election might be ready to go against Biden.
“I think they are right to raise issues. This is a very serious matter,” said Peters, who is not running for re-election this year. “Senators need to take a position that they think is best for their country.”
Criticism in the interim map
Meanwhile, the democratic opposition to the Biden administration’s move has intensified on the Senate run-off map in the November by-elections.
In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Feterman, an otherwise strong supporter of Biden’s policies, broke with the White House at 42.
“I think we need to think a little bit more about that. And I don’t think we’re still there, to be honest, “Feterman said in an interview.
U.S. Representative Connor Lamb, another Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, told CNN he was “skeptical” about the planned repeal.
“I will certainly hear any argument the administration wants to make,” Lamb said. “But you know, the pandemic is not over. That is why Title 42 came into force to try to help control what is happening down there in the light of the pandemic and how things can spread, especially with these different options. ”
In Wisconsin, Democrats hoping to oust Republican Sen. Ron Johnson this fall condemned Biden for Title 42.
Gov. Mandela Barnes, Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, and Milwaukee Bucks CEO Alex Lasry called on the administration to propose a plan to keep both asylum seekers and U.S. residents safe before canceling the public health service.
Florida’s Val Demings, who is fighting GOP senator Marco Rubio, was a major contender for Biden’s title in 2020. Campaign spokesman Christian Slater said Demings, a former Orlando police chief, had not supported the removal. title 42, “as long as there is a plan to put more boots on the ground and support our law enforcement officers at the border.”
The Democratic candidates for the Senate in the states with a red leaning also spoke.
Ohio spokesman Tim Ryan, the leading Democrat in the open Senate race, is sponsoring a bill that would deter the Biden administration from what he called a “wrong and reckless” decision to lift restrictions on Title 42.
“Prematurely ending this policy without a way forward does nothing to keep Americans safe, to support our border patrol agents, to protect asylum seekers, or to bring about the overall adjustment our immigration system needs,” Ryan said. .
And retired Marine Lucas Koons, a leading candidate for the Missouri Open, said, “Abolishing Title 42 without a real plan is not politics – it’s politics.”
CNN’s Lauren Fox, Priscilla Alvarez, Manu Raju, Paradise Afshar, Andy Rose and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
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