Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former aide to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said Democrats are in desperate need of a “reframing” of the border issue. “Because this debate, the way it’s currently structured, is very bad for Democrats,” he said. “Either we have Title 42 and no chaos, or Title 42 and chaos. That’s just not a good look for anybody right now.”…

But there is also risk for some Democrats in opposing the end of Title 42 too aggressively. Some are already facing dismay from immigrant advocates who see calls for delay as a warning sign. They include Cortez Masto, who was swept into office in 2016 thanks in part to Nevada’s sizable Latino electorate.

“If now is not the time, when is the right time?” said Rico Ocampo, an immigrant organizer with Make the Road Nevada, who called Cortez Masto’s calls “disappointing” and said advocates would “keep a close eye” on how she and other Nevada politicians vote on Title 42 in the coming months.

Democrats facing reelection this year, Fresco said, are “100 percent justified” in airing frustration with the Biden administration’s border moves so long as the choice is binary. “But what is not justified at all is doing nothing about it,” he added, calling on the frustrated lawmakers to offer a third option and show voters they are at least pursuing it.