DHS concerned about rising number of migrants at the border, internal planning documents show

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepares to lift Title 42 on Monday, as senior Department of Homeland Security officials are concerned that they won't have enough funding and resources to cover the record-breaking number of migrants at the southern border, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepares to lift Title 42 on Monday, according to internal planning documents reviewed by NBC News.

The public health order that was issued to prevent the spread of Covid has blocked more than 1.8 million migrants from entering the US from Mexico since March 2020, which is a $1.4 billion appropriation from Congress to handle a record level of border encounters.

The administration is asking Congress to get a supplemental spending bill, as per the internal planning documents, both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will only be partially covered by reprogramming.

One of the planning memos said that if the Department doesn't get supplemental funding, we're legally not able to get enough funding to cover all the requirements.

The memo cites funding allocated for the Biden administration's family reunification task force, designed to find and reunite migrant parents and children separated by the Trump administration, as a must that cannot be sacrificed in order to secure the border.

Without tapping into key programs, DHS agencies that handle migration would need about $1.2 billion in additional funding to cover the cost estimated if border crossings reach 10,000 per day, the document says. The extra costs would be higher if more people crossed the border: $1.6 billion for 14,000 crossings a day and $2 billion for 18,000 crossings a day. Currently, about 7,400 migrants are encountered at the border each day, the highest number since records began in 2000.

Three DHS officials told NBC News that the need for more funding has been expressed in recent meetings with White House officials, including one late last week and one early this week.

The documents say that additional funding is needed to increase space to hold migrants for processing, expand a program known as alternatives to detention, expand a program that allows migrants to wear an ankle monitor or check in by phone with an officer while they wait for their court hearing, and increase transportation of migrants.

According to the planning memo, ICE has predicted that it will need to increase the number of deportation flights as well as flights and buses from the border to cities in the interior of the U.S. where migrants will go to have their cases heard by judges.

A spokeswoman for the DHS said the agency is not currently seeking more funding for the border at this stage.

The spokeswoman said DHS is working closely with the White House and other departments in the federal government on efforts that are critical to successful management of the border. If additional resources are needed, DHS will work with the White House to engage Congress on any potential need for additional funding. The three DHS officials who spoke to NBC News said that White House officials are aware of the need for more money and resources, but they have not asked Congress for a supplemental spending bill.

In a statement, the White House Office of Management and Budget said that they are working closely with the Department of Homeland SecurityDepartment of Homeland Security to ensure that they have the resources they need to manage the border, including by maximizing the additional $1.4 billion they secured for DHS through the fiscal year 2022 government funding bill, reprogramming existing funds, or requesting supplemental funds from Congress.