By Evan Stambaugh, Alphanews MN – April 19, 2022
Rep. Angie Craig is lending her support to a bill that tries to pressure the Biden administration into addressing the southern border crisis.
The congresswoman from Minnesota co-sponsored the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022 last week, according to a press release. The bill would prevent the Biden administration from lifting Title 42 immigration restrictions without first ending its COVID public health emergency and devising a plan to stem the tide of illegal aliens pouring into the U.S. over its border with Mexico.
The Biden administration’s plan to lift Title 42, a provision in the Public Health Service Act of 1944, means illegal aliens will once again be permitted to remain in the United States while their asylum claims are being reviewed and processed. Title 42 has been in effect since March 2020, when then-president Donald Trump invoked it at the outset of the COVID pandemic to keep asylum seekers from potentially spreading the disease inside the country.
“The United States cannot revoke Title 42 without having a concrete plan to enforce our laws and ensure order in our immigration system,” Craig said in a statement. “The Administration’s decision to do so could precipitate a significant influx of migrants arriving at our Southern border which our current system simply isn’t prepared to handle — which would undermine our ability to ensure a secure, orderly and humane immigration process.”
“We must ensure our nation is fully prepared for any and all potential ramifications before deciding to roll back this public health measure,” she added.
Craig is a progressive Democrat representing a swing district with a sizeable Republican voting population. In 2018, she defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Jason Lewis by just 18,611 votes out of 337,965 cast, or 52.65% to 47.15%. She’s the first Democrat to represent Minnesota’s second district since David Minge, who lost reelection in 2000 to Mark Kennedy.
According to The Hill, many vulnerable Democrats on Capitol Hill are moving to distance themselves from the president’s decision on Title 42, which is set to expire in late May.