Democratic Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, who just this month said she opposes border security measure Title 42, abruptly reversed her position before an expected surge on the border.
Hobbs, who said April 4 that "Title 42 isn't working," is now urging President Joe Biden to reverse his "rash decision" to end the policy, which allows Border Patrol agents to immediately expel illegal immigrants to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Hobbs now says that Biden's plan to lift Title 42 "without a clear plan to secure our border" would be "a disaster," CNN reported Sunday.
The Biden administration announced days before Hobbs's April 4 interview that it will repeal the border security measure, sparking backlash from Republicans and some Democrats, including Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema. The administration set the policy's end date as May 23.
Swing-state Democrats up for election this year, including Kelly, have beaten a hasty retreat from Biden's plan, with Democratic Nevada governor Steve Sisolak warning the president that rescinding Title 42 would spark a "humanitarian crisis."
Ending Title 42 is the most unpopular decision of Biden's presidency, pollster Morning Consult found.
The Washington Free Beacon reported this month that the Department of Homeland Security expects the repeal of Title 42 to cause both a massive surge at the border and laxer security standards.
Border Patrol reported more than 221,000 migrant encounters in March alone.