White House denies end of Title 42 would amount to open borders

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday contended that the upcoming expiration of the Title 42 immigration order would not indicate a state of open borders at the nation's frontier with Mexico.

"The fact that the removal of Title 42 is happening in just a day or two doesn't mean that the border's open," Jean-Pierre said, per The Hill. "It would be wrong to think that the border is open. It is not open, and I just want to be very, very clear about that."

She further highlighted the administration's bid for more federal funding to address a likely migration surge, asserting that Republicans voicing concerns should grant the government the funding to address the issue, saying "[I]f they truly, truly, want to assist instead of doing political ploys like they have been in several months... they will adhere to the funding request."

The Title 42 immigration rule is a COVID-era order that permits border authorities to immediately deport would-be border-crossers upon apprehension should they hail from a country known to struggle with a communicative disease. The Biden administration has long attempted to end the order, but it has remained in legal limbo pending for months.

A U.S. District Judge in mid-November deemed the rule "arbitrary and capricious" while last Friday an appeals court denied a Republican bid to halt the order's termination, paving the way for its end on Dec. 21. 

Republicans have warned that the order's end would result in a flood of illegal migrants amid an already unprecedented tide of border crossers. Border authorities encountered a record 2.4 million migrants in fiscal year 2022 alone, with nearly 4 million crossing since President Joe Biden took office in January of 2021.