A federal judge in Louisiana temporarily stopped the Biden administration from terminating the public health policy known as Title 42 at the US-Mexico border this past Monday.
This comes after 20 U.S. states asked the court to stop the administration’s decision, citing concerns for border security. The policy was set to be rescinded on May 23, 2022, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that the order was no longer necessary in early April. Working with The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the date was set for late May to allow DHS ample time to prepare and implement COVID-19 mitigation protocols, including vaccines and therapeutics.
The policy was initially intended to help mitigate COVID-19 exposure by allowing officials to turn away migrants back to Mexico or their home countries. Immigration advocates say the policy has negatively impacted immigrants from seeking asylum legally. The policy has also affected Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum since Russia began the Ukraine invasion in February.
Asylum is a U.S. law that protects immigrants from being deported as they wait for their cases to be reviewed
References
English: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/25/politics/title-42-blocked/index.html
Spanish: https://www.univision.com/noticias/inmigracion/restricciones-en-las-fronteras-bloqueo-de-titulo-41-juez
CDC Memo: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0401-title-42.html