DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Announces ‘The Border is Not Open’ As 24,000 Border Agents Ready to Stop Migrant Surge 

Screenshot Fox News

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Is it too little, too late? 

From the day President Joe Biden took office, he began unraveling Trump-era immigration policies to the point where 10,000 people a day were pouring into the country. 

With Title 42 expiring at 11:59 pm yesterday, the Biden administration has decided to play tough guy. 

A top U.S. official told CBS News that approximately 60,000 migrants were waiting near the border for the end of the law that allowed U.S. authorities to expel those entering the country illegally due to the pandemic. 

Speaking from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a warning to the would-be lawbreakers. 

“The border is not open,” Mayorkas said. “Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a lawful pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum.”

He added: “We have 24,000 Border Patrol Agents and Officers at the Southwest Border and have surged thousands of troops and contractors, and over a thousand asylum officers to help enforce our laws. Do not believe the lies of smugglers.”

“People who do not use available lawful pathways to enter the U.S. now face tougher consequences, including a minimum five-year ban on re-entry and potential criminal prosecution,” he said. 

“Together with our partners throughout the federal government and Western Hemisphere, we are prepared for this transition.”

Mayorkas addressed the issue of the millions of migrants already in the country illegally. He said officials are “ready to humanely process and remove people without a legal basis to remain in the U.S.”

“We expected to see large numbers of encounters initially. We are already seeing high numbers of encounters in certain sectors,” Mayorkas said. 

“This places an incredible strain on our personnel, our facilities, and our communities with whom we partner closely. We prepared for this moment for almost two years and our plan will deliver results. 

“It will take time for those results to be fully realized, and it is essential that we all take this into account.” 

Earlier in the week, news broke that immigration officials were to release migrants into the streets due to overcrowding in holding facilities in preparation for the anticipated surge due to the end of the Title 42 policy. 

A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from doing so and imposed a two-week stay on the policy. 

“Like many other COVID-era public health measures, the CDC’s temporary Title 42 public health order will also come to an end. But the lifting of the Title 42 order does not mean the border is open,” the State Department said in a statement on April 27.

“When the Title 42 order lifts at 11:59 PM on May 11, the United States will return to using Title 8 immigration authorities to expeditiously process and remove individuals who arrive at the U.S. border unlawfully. These decades-old authorities carry steep consequences for unlawful entry, including at least a five-year ban on reentry and potential criminal prosecution for repeated attempts to enter unlawfully,” the statement continued. 

The White House constantly blames Republicans for the border crisis, but Biden has threatened to veto the latest proposal relating to immigration coming from House Republicans.