El Paso Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Title 42 Ending

UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an administrative stay pausing the ending of Title 42 while the court considers the matter. The stay calls for the administration to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Last weekend, El Paso Mayor Oscar Lesser declared a state of emergency ahead of the termination of Title 42 and the anticipated surge at the southwest border.

Title 42—a common reference to the March 2020 pandemic health order the Trump administration issued to quickly expel illegal border-crossers—is set to end Wednesday, after federal courts ruled in favor of the Biden administration’s attempt to cancel the policy.

El Paso’s emergency declaration will be in effect for a week and may be extended further depending on the impact of the projected influx.

The El Paso sector of the border is already seeing more than 2,000 illegals crossing daily, an increase of 280 percent from the same time last year.

President Joe Biden’s open-border policies have worsened the crisis, with a record-breaking 2.3 million encounters on the southwest border last fiscal year.

“The Biden Administration has no intention of actually enforcing our immigration laws,” said Texans for Strong Borders President Chris Russo. “With the end of Title 42 expulsions on Wednesday, this crisis is about to blow wide open. Our broken records for illegal border crossings over the last year will look modest by comparison.”

According to Sheena Rodriguez, president of Alliance for a Safe Texas, “El Paso looks like a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie. We’ve been warning about the ominous tidal wave that would ensue with the lifting of Title 42. That time is now here, and the entire world knows.”

El Paso has been under considerable stress from illegal border crossings and has been busing illegal aliens out of the state at a higher rate than Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“The entire world is coming over our Texas border, and there’s nothing standing in their way,” said Rodriguez, calling on Texas officials to defend the state.

No amount of empty Humvees or temporary fencing will stop the destruction of our sovereign state & nation. Strongly worded letters and social media posts will not save Texas. The time for Bold Unprecedented Executive Action from our State Government Officials is now!

“The governor can and must fully exercise his powers under Article I, Section 10, of the U.S. Constitution to repel the invasion at our southern border,” agreed Russo. “Our nation’s sovereignty is hanging in the balance.”

Reports are already emerging of temporary holding centers, including some at the El Paso airport, as city officials prepare to house and transport thousands of illegal border-crossers.

Texans have been sounding the alarm for over a year now regarding the devastation to property, livelihoods, and human life as the invasion continues.

Now, with securing the border and protecting Texans being one of eight GOP legislative priorities for the upcoming session, state lawmakers are expected to fill the gaping hole in border security left by the federal government.

Federal, state, and local actors are also calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to use his constitutional authority to protect Texas and expel invaders amid the federal government’s dereliction of duty.

Sydnie Henry

A born and bred Texan, Sydnie serves as the Managing Editor for Texas Scorecard. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a B.A. in Government and is utilizing her research and writing skills to spread truth to Texans.