Supreme Court maintains Title 42 - El Comercio de Colorado

GOVERNMENT REITERATES THAT BORDER IS NOT OPEN

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The US Government will continue to expel most of the people who arrive at the border using Title 42 after the Supreme Court ordered to maintain it in a precautionary manner. This health regulation was approved by the Trump administration at the time of the pandemic, after the Supreme Court ordered to maintain it on a precautionary basis.

“The border is not open, and we will continue to apply our laws,” wrote the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after learning of the Supreme Court’s order that leaves hundreds of migrants waiting in Mexico in limbo to be able to request asylum in the US The border between Mexico and the US continues to be full of migrants awaiting the decision of the Court.

Decision 5 to 4

The Supreme Court, in a decision made with the vote of five judges in favor of four against, agreed to the request of prosecutors from 19 states to freeze the suspension of Title 42 while the future of this rule is resolved in court. DHS assured that it “will continue to administer the border” but asks Congress to approve a reform to the immigration system.

When asked about the Supreme Court’s decision, President Joe Biden said that his government will continue to apply Title 42, although he has passed the time to revoke it. “The court will not decide on the matter until June, and in the meantime, we must enforce the law, but its deadline has passed,” the president said.

Meléndez calls for other measures

The high court will have to decide later, once the case has been studied, and it is unknown how long it may take to do so. Influential Democratic Senator Bob Menéndez asked the Biden government to take other measures to expand legal immigration channels in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to maintain Title 42.

Organizations in defense of human rights also criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to maintain Title 42, pointing out that it prohibits the right to asylum. “The Supreme Court’s decision will have deadly consequences for people fleeing persecution,” said Melissa Crow, an attorney at the University of Hastings in California.

For and against

The International Rescue Coommittee (IRC) organization also regretted the court’s order, noting that upholding Title 42 “denies the legal right of asylum seekers to seek protection in the US.” A group of prosecutors from 19 states, including Texas, were the ones that caused the Supreme Court to rule.

They alleged that the suspension would cause “massive and irreparable damage” in immigration matters. A federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled in mid-November ordering the suspension of Title 42, a decision that was appealed by prosecutors from 19 states and by the Biden government.

The states argue that they face an immigration crisis if Title 42 is suspended, and that the Government has not taken adequate measures to deal with the situation. The regulation has allowed more than 1.5 million expulsions to take place at the border since it went into effect in March 2020, according to IRC data.