DHS Claims Border Plan ‘Working as Intended’ After Title 42

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday it has “repatriated” nearly 1,800 migrants per day since Title 42 ended and the administration’s border plan is “working as intended.”

According to DHS, the more than 38,400 repatriated migrants were removed under Title 8, which allows the government to remove anyone unable to establish a legal basis for being in the United States. Removal under Title 8 also bars these migrants from entering the country for five years.

DHS officials released the figures ahead of two congressional hearings Tuesday that are set to examine the administration’s preparation for the end of Title 42 and staffing challenges at the southern border.

Title 42 – the Trump-invoked health policy used during the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly expel illegal immigrants – expired May 11.

Since then, unlawful entries into the United States between ports of entry along the southern border have decreased by more than 70%, according to DHS.

The Biden administration had initially anticipated an overwhelming surge of migrants, but “DHS has continued to experience a significant reduction in encounters.”

Border Patrol agents had reportedly been encountering about 10,000 people per day in the days leading up to the end of Title 42; since May 12, they averaged 3,700 unscheduled encounters per day.

The top nationalities encountered during this most recent period included Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, comprising 70% of all encounters, DHS said.

Through CBP One – the Customs and Border Protection mobile app – an average of 1,070 non-U.S. citizens have presented themselves at a port of entry each day for a scheduled appointment and an additional 23,000 “vetted and sponsored” migrants have arrived in the United States from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

“The administration’s plan is working as intended,” DHS said in a press release. “We are cognizant, however, that the conditions in the hemisphere that are driving unprecedented movements of people are still present and that the cartels and coyotes will continue to spread disinformation about any potential changes to policies at the border in order to put migrants’ lives at risk for profit.

“We will remain vigilant and continue to execute our plan, making adjustments where needed,” the department added.