Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez is asking President Biden to visit the Rio Grande Valley before he “makes any substantial changes to the current border policy,” according to a Tuesday news release from the county.
Cortez sent a letter to Biden saying as much as the May 23 deadline to end Title 42 approaches. Title 42 has basically kept migrants from seeking asylum in the United States.
The two-page letter, sent Monday, explains to the president that Hidalgo County is situated “at unique crossroads of national security and economic considerations,” the release said.
“President Biden, as a public servant in a border community I must implore you to visit our region before the existing Order is suspended,” Cortez wrote.
He noted the county was impacted particularly hard by COVID-19 and told the president he is concerned about the April 1 determination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said Title 42 was no longer necessary.
Based on the experience before Title 42 was implemented, any surge in immigration coming from Mexico will ultimately impact the entire country, but the impact on border communities will be felt immediately, Cortez said.
“We bear the responsibility of welcoming, treating, and caring for these migrants even as we struggle to care for the less fortunate in our community,” Cortez wrote. “The negative consequences are expected to be real and immediate for American Citizens living in border communities across the Southwest.”
