Las Vegas City Wire

Democratic leaders are beginning to back Republicans in their efforts to keep the COVID-19 immigration policy, known as Title 42, in place. It is slated to cease in May.

Their efforts, however, are being called half-hearted.

The Biden administration decided earlier this month to eliminate the policy that was spearheaded by former President Donald Trump in 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, a recent CNN report said.

"Senate Dems like Mark Kelly, Maggie Hassan, Catherine Cortez Masto and Raphael Warnock think their constituents are fools," GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted recently. "They send out press releases calling for Title 42 to stay in place, but yesterday refused to join an effort to get it extended."

The Nevada Current reported that Cortez Masto was against the Biden administration's choice to stop Title 42.

"This is the wrong way to do this and it will leave the administration unprepared for a surge at the border," Cortez Masto said in a recent NevadaCurrent.com release.

But Masto voted to terminate Title 42, despite any plans in place on addressing the border crisis; an April 11 Senate.gov. Roll Call Vote Summary said.

Another Nevada Senate Democrat, Jacky Rosen, has also joined the group warning Biden against lifting the border policy, a recent KLAS news report said.

"The administration made this announcement without sufficient preparation or a cohesive strategy already being in place to secure the border and prevent chaos," Rosen said in a statement, quoted by KLAS.

"In 2021, Cortez Masto voted to end Title 42," National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Katharine Cooksey Noyes tweeted recently. "Somebody saw her plummeting poll numbers and is hoping to hide her radical record from voters #NVSEN." 

The House Freedom Caucus wrote a letter to House Democrats in March with information that stated there were approximately 97,000 illegal border crossers in the first half of the month, of which Title 42 removed 51% of them; a recent FOX News report said.  

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for up to 18,000 daily migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border if Title 42 is removed, a recent ABC News report said.