Arizona Governor Doug Ducey sent a letter on Tuesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the leader to not reverse specific health restrictions that are currently in place at the U.S. Southern border.
The current rule, Title 42, was put into place by former President Donald Trump in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic.
Reports have surfaced that Biden will roll back the regulation that allowed border officials to deny entry to individuals who potentially pose a health risk, such as COVID-19.
“Title 42 is one of the only measures remaining in place which allows not only the federal authorities but also state and local public health professionals to maintain public health that they have worked so hard for over the past 17 months of this pandemic,” Ducey said of the rule.
Ducey also highlighted that fully opening the border could have dramatic repercussions for the United States — including an increase in coronavirus cases.
“I urge you to keep these restrictions in place. Lifting them will threaten the health and safety of not only Arizonans, but all Americans, and our already broken border will explode, overwhelming border patrol, law enforcement, non-profits and health care professionals,” Ducey pleaded with Mayorkas.
Further, Ducey warned that all blame will lay at the feet of the Biden administration if the current rule is revoked.
“By lifting this policy, the Biden administration will be responsible for not only exacerbating our border crisis, but in effect, proactively and knowingly importing COVID-19 variants into the United States, starting in our border states,” the border-state governor said.
Biden has sought to remove many border restrictions Trump put in place. After becoming president, Biden immediately ended construction of the border wall. Further, the administration stopped the “Remain in Mexico” policy — which experts say was widely successful at preventing a large number of migrants from staying in the country.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
