TEXAS, USA — Editor's Note: This interview was conducted on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Texas communities along the border with Mexico have been preparing for the end of the pandemic-era public health immigration policy known as Title 42, which allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants at the border due to COVID-19.
Title 42 is set to expire on May 11 and North Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self expects a wave of people will try to cross the border.
“Once it expires, I think we’re going to see people that are going to make the decision to come on over. We are going to swing the gates open if this expires with no more action than what we’ve seen,” Self said on Inside Texas Politics.
El Paso declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the expected influx of migrants, many of whom have reportedly been camping out on sidewalks and crowding shelters in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, which is directly across the border from the Texas city.
The Biden Administration has promised to increase deportations and is also sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border to assist immigration authorities once Title 42 expires.
But those service members, who will be deployed for 90 days, will not have any law enforcement duties and won’t be able to detain or process migrants.
Self calls it nothing more than a PR move.
“They’re going to go down there armed with pencils and pens,” the Republican told us. “Hopefully that will relieve some border agents to do their job.”
The Congressman also spoke to us about a recent letter he sent to President Biden opposing the administration’s proposed policy concerning electric vehicles (EVs) that governs tailpipe emissions and is part of the administration’s goal to require at least half of all new vehicles be electric by 2030.
Also signed by 32 other members of Congress, the letter urges the President to consider the “devastating consequences” the policy would have on American manufacturers and consumers.
“This is a feel-good policy that is going to allow the wealthy progressives to feel good about their electric vehicles. But most of the electricity, even in their electric vehicles, will be produced by fossil fuels,” said the Republican.
Congressman Self tells us he has not yet received a response from the Biden Administration.