US Republican Senators Urge Biden to Keep Health Restrictions on Border-Crossing Migrants

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A group of 46 Republican senators urged US President Joe Biden in a letter on Wednesday to keep the health restrictions in place that have allowed officials to quickly expel more than half of the migrants apprehended illegally attempting to cross the southern US border.

The Biden administration plans to end a health provision known as Title 42 before the end of the month, according to media reports.

“Ending this order will have a dire impact on the crisis already engulfing our southwestern border we urge you in the strongest possible terms not to take this action,” the letter said, read by Senator John Barrasso at a press conference.

The letter was signed by 46 Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Senators flanking Barrasso at a press conference warned that ending Title 42 would remove a measure that has allowed border officials to impose some limits on the seasonal surge of illegal border crossings that they blame on Biden's decision to halt construction of additional sections of the border wall and reverse other measures imposed during the Trump administration.

Of more than 180,000 migrants apprehended in May – the highest monthly total in over 20 years - more than 110,000 were returned using the health measure, the senators said.