Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California warned Monday that President Biden’s plan to reverse former President Donald Trump’s border policies could “break” his state.
The Biden administration is planning to lift the Trump-era Title 42 policy, which allows police and border officers to expedite the expulsion of illegal immigrants.
Newsom, speaking to ABC News on Monday, said, “The fact is, what we’ve got right now is not working and is about to break in a post-42 world unless we take some responsibility and ownership.”
“I’m saying that as a father,” the governor added. “I’m saying that as someone that feels responsible for being part of the solution and I’m trying to do my best here.”
Newsom claimed the U.S. government is sending “more and more” migrants to California because the state is “taking care of folks.”
“The more we do, the burden is placed disproportionate on us,” he said.
“We’re already at capacity at nine of our sites,” Newsom continued. “We can’t continue to fund all of these sites because of the budgetary pressures now being placed on this state and the offsetting issues that I have to address.… The reality is, unless we’re doing what we’re doing, people will end up on the streets.”
Newsom’s comments come as a surprise after years of championing policies to accommodate and expand protections to illegal migrants entering California.
About 22% of California’s nearly 11 million immigrants are in the U.S. illegally, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
In September, Newsom signed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain state ID, saying, “We’re a state of refuge — a majority-minority state, where 27% of us are immigrants.”
In January, Newsom unveiled his 2022-23 California budget plan, which included universal health care benefits for all low-income residents, including illegal migrants.
The Biden administration is requesting billions in additional funding for the border as it predicts an enormous spike in migrant encounters when the Title 42 authority to quickly expel migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic ends later this month.
A court ordered the administration to stop using the authority — which has been used since March 2020 to quickly return migrants to Mexico — after finding it to be unlawful.
