88R6544 BPG-D
By: Lozano H.C.R. No. 11
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, 42 U.S.C. Section 265, commonly known as Title 42,
has proven invaluable in managing the crisis at the United
States-Mexico border; and
WHEREAS, Since the invocation of Title 42 by the Trump
administration in March 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security has used the order more than two million times to rapidly
expel unauthorized migrants; enforcement of the order also serves
as an important deterrent to citizens of other countries
contemplating a dangerous journey to join the massive surge at the
border; and
WHEREAS, Texas border communities have struggled to deal with
the huge influx of migrants, and DHS has relied heavily on Title 42
to protect these communities from being even more overwhelmed;
during fiscal year 2021, of the more than 1.6 million encounters on
the Southwestern land border, over 60 percent, or around 1 million,
resulted in expulsion under Title 42 authority; and
WHEREAS, Unauthorized migration has reached historic highs,
leading to overcrowding at Border Patrol stations, and officials
have warned that numbers could more than double should Title 42 be
rescinded; recent policy changes at DHS have made the agency even
less able to cope with such a spike if it is forced to fall back
solely on its Title 8 authorities to process and detain migrants;
small border communities, already sorely burdened, lack sufficient
housing, transportation, and health care facilities to absorb an
even greater tide of migrants paroled into their jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, Rescission of Title 42 during an unprecedented surge
in unauthorized immigration is sure to have a deleterious effect on
border security while degrading quality of life in communities all
along the southwestern border; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the president of the United States to keep
Title 42 in place for the duration of the current border crisis;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an
official copy of this resolution to the president of the United
States of America.