Sunday shows preview: All eyes on the border post-Title 42; debt ceiling deadline looms

In the wake of Title 42’s expiration on Thursday, the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.

The pandemic-era policy implemented under former President Trump, which allowed authorities to rapidly expel migrants without permitting them to seek asylum, was used more than 2.8 million times over the last three years. However, it came to an end on Thursday at midnight, as the national COVID-19 public health emergency expired.

The end of Title 42 has long been expected to result in a surge of migrants at the southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) recently said they were preparing for up to 10,000 migrants a day.

In the hours immediately after the rule expired, Biden administration officials said that they had yet to see an uptick in migrants at the border.

“Overnight, we saw similar patterns to what we’ve seen over the past several days,” Blas Nuñez-Neto, CBP’s chief operating officer, said on Friday. “We continue to encounter high levels of non-citizens at the border, but we did not see a substantial increase overnight or an influx at midnight.”

However, asylum officers at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were notified that they would be required to work over the weekend to process claims.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is set to make appearances on ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union” this weekend, said on Thursday that the administration is “clear-eyed” about the upcoming challenges at the border.

The Biden administration unveiled several measures on Wednesday to address the potential influx of migrants, including a controversial policy that blocks migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they passed through another country where they could have sought asylum.

Mayorkas explained on Wednesday that the policy aims to “encourage individuals to use available lawful, safe and orderly pathways to enter the United States.” 

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several immigration groups sued the administration as soon as the rule went into effect on Friday, noting its similarity to a Trump-era policy that was struck down in court.

Ahead of Title 42’s expiration on Thursday, House Republicans passed their long-promised border security bill. The legislation, which is likely to face opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate, would place significant restrictions on asylum and require the completion of former President Trump’s border wall.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a sponsor of the bill, is set to discuss the legislation with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño and El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser will also join CBS’ “Face the Nation” this weekend. Both of the Texas border cities declared states of emergency ahead of Title 42’s expiration.

As all eyes remain on the border, the deadline to raise the debt ceiling is looming just weeks away. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned earlier this month that the U.S. could default on its debt as soon as June 1. 

Just hours after Yellen’s warning, President Biden called for a meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

While McCarthy said there wasn’t “any new movement” at Tuesday’s meeting, Biden described the talks as “productive.” 

As discussions continued between Biden and McCarthy’s staff, a senior adviser to Biden said on Wednesday that there was “at least a sense of productivity” but the two sides remained “a long way away.”

National Economic Council Chair Lael Brainard will join CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday to discuss the debt ceiling debate, while Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo will make an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“There is no way to stop the catastrophe that would be default if Congress doesn’t raise the debt limit,” Adeyemo said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday.

“All of the alternatives that people have come up with are alternatives that would mean that for the first time in the history of the United States, we didn’t meet all of our commitments on time,” he added. “It would be devastating for our economy.”

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Laredo, Texas, Mayor Victor Treviño and El Paso, Texas, Mayor Oscar Leeser; Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley; Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.); Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Mayorkas; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.); Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.); Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo

“Fox News Sunday” — Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio); Reza Pahlavi, exiled Iranian Crown Prince; Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R); Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)