McCarthy says Biden has 'failed to listen or act' on border crisis, as February numbers climb

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FIRST ON FOX: House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said that President Biden has "failed to listen or act" on the crisis at the southern border, and cautioned against a potential move by the administration to end Title 42 border protections – just as February's border numbers showed a 63% increase over the same time last year.

In a statement to Fox News, McCarthy noted that it was a year ago that he and fellow House Republicans visited the southern border to warn about a brewing crisis, which GOP lawmakers have repeatedly put down to Biden's rollback of Trump-era border policies.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER IN FEBRUARY SURGED 63% OVER LAST YEAR: CBP DATA

"One year ago today, House Republicans first sounded the alarm at the southern border and for over a year President Biden has failed to listen or act," McCarthy said.

McCarthy was responding to new border numbers that show that there were 164,973 encounters in February, compared to 101,099 encounters in February last year -- a 63% increase.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responds to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Biden administration has sought to blame root causes like poverty and climate change in Central America, as well as the Trump administration’s ending of legal asylum pathways, for the surge in migrants over the last year. There were more than 1.7 million migrant encounters in FY 2021. Already in FY 2022 there have been 838,685.

But Republicans have instead pointed to the rollback of Trump-era policies such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and border wall construction, as well as reduced interior enforcement and calls for amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the country. 

They have also been sounding the alarm about reports that the Biden administration is planning to end Title 42 -- which has been used by both the Biden and Trump administrations to expel migrants coming to the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Top Democrats and immigration activists have been pushing for Title 42 to be scrapped, and the administration has reportedly been making plans to do so, despite fears that it will lead to a new migrant surge at the border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently called it "unacceptable" that Title 42 remained in place.

DEMS CALL FOR BIDEN TO END TITLE 42 BORDER PROTECTIONS, DESPITE FEARS OF LOOMING MIGRANT SURGE

McCarthy called Title 42 an "essential tool" in securing the border, and warned that ending it would only make the ongoing crisis worse.

"Instead of working with Republicans to secure the border, crack down on violent cartels, end the epidemic of human trafficking, and stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into our communities, the Biden administration is considering eliminating an essential tool in border security, Title 42, which would only exacerbate this unprecedented crisis," he said. 

"Biden must remove the incentives for illegal immigration and take steps to secure our southern border immediately," he added.

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Republicans have called on the administration to finish building the wall at the southern border, maintain implement Title 42, and send a clearer message to migrants not to come to the U.S. They have also called for the administration to fully reinstate MPP -- known as the "Remain-in-Mexico" policy.

The Biden administration scrapped the policy, but later was forced to reinstate it by a federal court which found officials had ended it unlawfully. While it has begun re-implementing the policy, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has promised to end it as soon as the administration is able to in compliance with the court order.