EL PASO, Texas – The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) today urged the Biden Administration to provide more resources to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The request comes as Texas border mayors and county officials prepare to deal with an anticipated influx of migrants when the Title 42 public health order finally comes to an end on May 11.
“To address the issues the border region will confront on May 11, we request increased staffing at the land ports of entry, including asylum officers and processing personnel,” El Paso County Commissioner and TBC Chairman David Stout said in a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Stout urged DHS to provide sufficient coordination with and funding for humanitarian organizations to prevent the release of migrants into border communities not equipped to handle an influx.
Stout also requested that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ensure enough personnel is available to address both a sudden migration increase and the normal operations at official U.S.-Mexico land ports of entry and to consult with border leaders about any plans it might have in place for altering normal operations at the ports.
“We recognize CBP must address any sudden increase in migrants arriving at the ports,” Stout said. “We also recognize that efficient and safe operations at our land ports of entry are critical to legitimate trade and travel while protecting our communities and respecting the legal and human rights of migrants.”
Following is a full text of the TBC letter:
April 19, 2023
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20395
Urgent Request for Action
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
We write with urgency about conditions in our communities on the Texas-Mexico border that require action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
We appreciate the Biden Administration’s efforts to prepare the border region for the end of the COVID health emergency and Title 42 restrictions on migrants. The Texas Border Coalition strongly supports many of the DHS initiatives, including investments in border technology, the land ports of entry, reducing visa and immigration court backlogs, and your recent efforts to regularize migrant claims for asylum. Like you, we believe the problems at the border require congressional action to reform our nation’s broken immigration system.
To address the issues the border region will confront on May 11, we request increased staffing at the land ports of entry, including asylum officers and processing personnel. The additional staffing must include sufficient coordination with and funding for humanitarian organizations to prevent the release of migrants into border communities not equipped to handle an influx.
We also urge you to consult with border leaders about any plans you might have in place for altering normal operations at our land ports of entry, such as occurred this past weekend in El Paso. We recognize CBP must address any sudden increase in migrants arriving at the ports. We also recognize that efficient and safe operations at our land ports of entry are critical to legitimate trade and travel while protecting our communities and respecting the legal and human rights of migrants. TBC requests that CBP ensure there are sufficient personnel available to address both a sudden migration increase and normal ports operations.
TBC acts as the collective voice of border communities on issues that affect Texas- Mexico border region’s quality of life, commerce, and public policy. TBC is comprised of mayors, city council members, county judges, county executives, businesses, corporations, and community leaders. Collectively, we represent more than 2.5 million people who reside along the more than 1,250 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, from Brownsville to El Paso, Texas. We believe in the economic vibrancy of our border region; its potential to re-vitalize is dependent on cross-border travelers.
Sincerely,
David Stout
Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
County Commissioner, El Paso County, Texas
# # #
About the Texas Border Coalition (TBC)
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect 2.5 million people along the Texas-Mexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville. TBC is working closely with the state and federal government to educate, advocate, and secure funding for transportation, immigration and border security, workforce development, economic development and health care. For more information, visit the coalition website at www.texasbordercoalition.org. Follow TBC on Facebook and Twitter [#TXBorderCoalition] to keep up to date on all of the latest news about the coalition and its activities.