EL PASO, Texas – The Texas Border Coalition has urged the Biden Administration to provide more resources to the U.S.-Mexico border.
David Stout, chairman of TBC and a country commissioner in El Paso, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warning that an influx of migrants could cross the Texas-Mexico border when the Title 42 public health order finally comes to an end on May 11. The letter is titled “Urgent Request for Action.”
TBC represents counties and cities from El Paso to Brownsville.
“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,” Stout said, in his letter to 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 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.”
Here is a copy of the Stout letter in full:
April 20, 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
