The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to apprehended up to 18,000 illegal immigrants per come spring and summer as the weather warms up and Title 42 expected to be lifted soon.
The New York Times reported DHS and other government agencies are coming up with contingency plans to handle the influx of people while resources are already strained due to Border Patrol encountering around 7,000 per day right now. To put it in perspective, former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said he considered it a crisis when agents were apprehending 1,000 people per day along the southern border.
To put it another way, the number of mostly Haitians who crossed into Del Rio, Texas and were forced to camp under the international bridge because there was nowhere else to put them in September 2021 capped out around 15,000. DHS is having to prepare to house, care, and transport more than a Del Rio bridge per day.
White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told reporters on Wednesday when Title 42 is eventually lifted, "there will be an influx of people to the border."
WH Comms Director Kate Bedingfield:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 30, 2022
"When the CDC ultimately decides it's appropriate to lift Title 42, there will be an influx of people to the border." pic.twitter.com/nJAD8YMeJO
Part of the Biden administration's plan to address the recent influx has the Federal Emergency Management Agency being activated along the U.S.-Mexico border. FEMA's Surge Capacity Force (SCF) augments "the federal response to a catastrophic disaster. FEMA manages this program that relies on federal employees from DHS components and Other Federal Agencies (OFA's) to support its mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters."
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said on Tuesday his agency will hit 1 million encounters with illegal immigrants less than six months into fiscal year 2022, which started in October.