US border communities declare disasters as Title 42 expires.

South Texas Counties Issue Disaster Declarations as Title 42 Immigration Order Expires

Impending Crisis

As the Title 42 immigration order expired on Thursday, several South Texas counties issued disaster declarations amid predictions of waves of illegal immigrants crossing the border in the coming days. Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez issued a disaster declaration, allowing his county to obtain relief funds. The county sits across the Rio Grande from Tamaulipas, Mexico, and there have been reports of thousands of would-be illegal immigrants located across the river waiting to cross.

Around the same time, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino also issued a disaster declaration on Thursday “in response to the imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from the Border Security Disaster,” according to a statement from his office. The “Border Security Disaster” went into effect immediately and will last for seven days until further review, his office said.

Emergency Response

Cortez said that he received word that some 20,000 illegal migrants could potentially surge into Hidalgo County in the coming days. His county is located at the very southern tip of Texas. “I have received credible information from officials with Customs and Border Protection that large groups of migrants are probing our international border in search of crossing points,” Cortez told local media outlets. “I have decided to declare this emergency as a first step in securing all available state and federal resources to ensure the health and safety of our residents.”

Other counties along the border have called on the Biden administration to take emergency action in response to the impending disaster. Federal officials have fought in court to keep Title 42 in place, but it was ordered by courts to be lifted at midnight.

Criticism and Blame

Republicans criticized the Biden administration for what they said was a poor response to the border crisis and illegal immigration. “And there are, right now, over 22,000 illegal immigrants right across the river,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a video on Thursday, pointing across the Rio Grande. “They’re waiting. They’re waiting for Title 42 to expire, and then the invasion we’re going to see is going to be massive,” he added.

Pointing to the camera, Cruz then declared: “Joe Biden, this is your fault.” He added, “The people who are killed crossing illegally: That’s your fault. The women who are sexually abused crossing illegally: That’s your fault. The children who are brutalized crossing illegally: That’s your fault.”

What’s Next?

• The federal government is the sole authority in the United States that has the capacity to handle illegal immigration, although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken steps to deal with border security in recent days and months.
• “A full response by (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the National Guard, like they would in any other disaster where they provide boots on the ground for housing, food, transportation, and health care—that would be the beginning,” said Douglas Nichols, the mayor of Yuma, Arizona, in a CNN interview.

The situation at the border remains uncertain, and it remains to be seen what actions the federal government will take to address the crisis.