Panama City, Panama(CNN) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN on Tuesday that his department is actively preparing for a potential increase in migrants next month when a Trump-era pandemic restriction lifts on the US-Mexico border amid fierce criticism from Democrats and Republicans about the Biden administration's decision.
Asked about the pushback from both parties, Mayorkas told CNN: "I say, number one, that we have plans. We are executing on those plans."
"I think we have to be very mindful of the fact that we are addressing enemies, and those enemies are the cartels and the smugglers, and I will not provide our plans to them. We are going to proceed with our execution, carefully, methodically, in anticipating different scenarios," he added.
Known as Title 42, the pandemic-era order allowed US border officials to turn migrants back to Mexico or their home countries immediately, citing a public health crisis. Many Democrats on Capitol Hill fear rescinding the rule in May is not enough time for the administration to establish an adequate plan to handle the uptick in migrant crossings that's expected to come with it.
US Customs and Border Protection had 221,303 encounters at the US-Mexico border in March, which marked yet another jump in arrests along the southern border. CBP has already apprehended more than 1 million people this fiscal year, which began on October 1. That includes some repeat crossers.
The US has placed emphasis on regional partnerships as hundreds of thousands of migrants move throughout the hemisphere, fleeing deteriorating conditions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is leading a US delegation in Panama for a ministerial on migration.
During his trip to Panama, Mayorkas visited the Darien region, where migrants journey through a treacherous stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap as they make their way to the US-Mexico border.
Mayorkas described his Tuesday meeting with Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen and Panamanian Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes as positive.
"He had requests of us with respect to the relationship and we, of course, had requests of Panama, with respect to the challenge of regional migration," Mayorkas said of the Panamanian President. Requests from Panama included additional resources from the US, like funding, training and technology.
The US, meanwhile, has asked Panama to deport migrants who don't qualify for relief. "We need them to repatriate individuals who do not qualify for relief, and we need them to also explore what resettlement opportunities exist for the migrants," Mayorkas said.
The US and Panama signed a migration arrangement later Tuesday "to improve migration management, expand stabilization efforts, and increase access to legal pathways and protection for those in the region," Blinken said in a statement.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement earlier Tuesday: "Secretary Blinken, President Cortizo, Foreign Minister Mouynes, and Secretary Mayorkas discussed the importance of regional cooperation on irregular migration and forced displacement to promote safe, orderly, and humane migration throughout the region."
"They also discussed strengthening our economic ties, preparations for using the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to advance efforts to strengthen democracy and improve governance in the region, and the need to stand together against the Kremlin's war in Ukraine," he added.
By pulling back Title 42, the administration is returning to the procedures that have been in place for decades for processing migrants. That includes releasing migrants who claim asylum into the US, sometimes under an alternative form of detention, or detaining migrants and deporting them to their home countries.
But given conditions in Latin America, which was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, more migrants may want to journey to the US southern border.
"As a result of the CDC's termination of its Title 42 public health order, we will likely face an increase in encounters above the current high levels. There are a significant number of individuals who were unable to access the asylum system for the past two years, and who may decide that now is the time to come," US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus recently said in a statement.
Two border state Democratic senators -- Arizona's Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly -- sent a letter to the President last month, arguing that Title 42 needed to remain in place until the administration had demonstrated a clear plan to manage the number of migrants who would come across the border. Kelly is facing a competitive reelection in November.
But it's not just border state Democrats who are carefully navigating the administration's actions on Title 42.
"This preemptive repeal threatens border security at a time when the administration should be focused on strengthening it," New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan, who's also on the ballot this year, tweeted last month.
"I'm not happy about it," said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan. "We have no follow-on plan. We are sort of planning to be overwhelmed at the border."
"I think this is the wrong time," Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who's facing one of the most competitive races in the fall, told CNN earlier this month. "And I haven't seen a plan."
Republicans have already signaled they'll make a repeal of Title 42 a cornerstone of their midterm campaign strategy, especially if the numbers at the border surge and images of packed facilities and an unmitigated crises play out in the media.
This story has been updated with further developments Tuesday.