EDINBURG, Texas – In a letter to the White House, Hidalgo County Judge Richard H. Cortez has “implored” President Biden to visit his county before Title 42 is suspended.
Title 42 is slated to end in late May. The order allows the U.S. government to block the entry of foreigners who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease is present. Use of the rule has allowed both the Trump and Biden administrations to ignore the pleas of refugees and asylum seekers.
Some analysts believe the suspension of Title 42 will lead to a surge of undocumented migration from Mexico, with some saying the number of migrants crossing the border could reach 15,000 to 18,000 per day.
Such a scenario is of concern to Cortez, pictured above. In his letter to President Biden, Cortez wrote:
“On Friday April 1st 2022 we were notified that the CDC Director had issued a Public Health Determination in which they determined that, “an Order suspending the right to introduce migrants into the United States is no longer necessary.” President Biden, as a public servant in a border community I must implore you to visit our region before the existing Order is suspended.”
The letter continued: “While the final impact of migrants entering the United States is shared across the entirety of our great nation the impact is limited to border communities such as ours. We bear the responsibility of welcoming, treating, and caring for these migrants even as we struggle to care for the less fortunate in our community. If we continue on the current path that ceases enforcement of the current order, the negative consequences are expected to be real and immediate for American Citizens living in border communities across the Southwest.”
Here is Judge Cortez’s letter in full:
May 2, 2022
President Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
President Biden:
Let us begin by commending your commitment to serve the citizens of the United States of America. These have been challenging times, with many unprecedented decisions and no shortage of contradictory insight.
As a border community, Hidalgo County has been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic disruptions. For many months our healthcare facilities operated at maximum capacity and our frontline medical personnel worked tirelessly to save lives. It is with that in mind that I write to invite you to visit our border community before your administration makes any substantial changes to current border policy.
Hidalgo County is situational at unique crossroads of national security and economic considerations. We are the frontlines in the physical safety and security of this State and Country while simultaneously serving as the key thoroughfare for agricultural commodities.
On Friday April 1st 2022 we were notified that the CDC Director had issued a Public Health Determination in which they determined that, “an Order suspending the right to introduce migrants into the United States is no longer necessary.” President Biden, as a public servant in a border community I must implore you to visit our region before the existing Order is suspended.
While the final impact of migrants entering the United States is shared across the entirety of our great nation the impact is limited to border communities such as ours. We bear the responsibility of welcoming, treating, and caring for these migrants even as we struggle to care for the less fortunate in our community. If we continue on the current path that ceases enforcement of the current order, the negative consequences are expected to be real and immediate for American Citizens living in border communities across the Southwest.
If I can in any way assist in facilitating your visit to our area please do not hesitate to contact my office and we will be honored to assist.
Respectfully,
Richard F. Cortez
County Judge
Hidalgo County, TX
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