(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino declared a city-wide state of emergency in anticipation of the expiration of Title 42 on May 11, emphasizing in an interview with Cavuto Live that the city is preparing for an influx of immigrants comparable to a formidable “hurricane.”
“As we saw, the migrant crossings are not here in Laredo,” Dr. Trevino told Fox News host Neil Cavuto Saturday. “They’re in other border cities, but they will be transferred to Laredo for processing. The situation is like a hurricane coming. We have to brace for it, and the border situation is very fluid.”
The mayor expressed concerns about the looming surge of border crossings, highlighting the city’s unpreparedness to manage the chaos. Laredo is in close proximity to the U.S.-Mexican border.
“Basically the numbers keep moving up and we’re preparing to bus some up to northern cities that have received more funding and have more capacity,” Dr. Trevino continued. “So that’s where we are. NGOs have received funding from federal government, but the capacity for problems is our situation.”
“Our community is compassionate, of course, but we cannot have the economic or hospital resources to absorb all the transfers, and we have been speaking to Congressman Henry Cuellar that is speaking to Secretary Mayorkas about this situation,” The Laredo mayor said.
The Trump-era policy known as Title 42 has been implemented since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and granting border patrol the authority to swiftly deport undocumented immigrants based on health emergency grounds.
President Biden attempted to end Title 42 through an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but after receiving a lawsuit from GOP-led states, the administration opted to let the Trump-era policy expired on May 11.
President Biden initially sought to terminate Title 42 by means of an executive order. However, due to a lawsuit filed by several Republican-led states, Biden ultimately decided to allow the immigration policy to expire.
Republicans say that lifting Title 42 would make the already crisis-ridden border worse.
“We need to keep Title 42 and make certain that we build the wall,” Sen. Masha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on Twitter last month.
Support for a border wall was echoed by Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, who took to Twitter to call for border security.
“The Biden Administration spends $130,000 a day to store unused border wall materials,” Gooden said on April 29. “With Title 42 ending, let’s stop wasting tax dollars and start building the wall.”
Dr. Trevino has previously pleaded for more resources for border cities.
Watch the full interview below:
