A federal judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked the Joe Biden administration's decision to end Title 42, a public health policy that restricts immigrants' access to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure was scheduled to end on May 23, but with the injunction issued by the Eastern District Court of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, it will remain in effect, which is why migrants arriving at the southern border will continue to be turned back.
The information was released by Judge Robert Summerhays as follows: «The Court discussed the Application for a Temporary Restraining Order [ECF No. 24] filed by the plaintiff (the Arizona Attorney General’s Office). For the reasons stated in the record, the Court announced its intention to grant the application. The parties will consult on the specific terms to be included in the Temporary Restraining Order and attempt to reach an agreement,» is part of the 25-page document.
The response has been celebrated and applauded by the various states that filed lawsuits and oppose the policies Joe Biden wants to implement. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich applauded the court for granting a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Biden administration to keep Title 42 in effect, even though the administration had already tried to reverse it before the May 23 deadline.
The announcement was also celebrated by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who stated, "This is a great victory for border security, but the fight continues," he posted on his social media.
The lawsuit was led by Arizona and supported by the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, which had asked the court to prevent the government from ending Title 42.
This request also comes during what has been described as the worst border crisis in U.S. history. In addition to this lawsuit filed by the coalition of more than 20 states, the Texas government filed its own appeal, which will now have to be decided by a judge in that state.
Under Title 42, the expedited removal of almost two million immigrants has been permitted in fiscal years 2021 and so far in 2022.
The Biden Administration made the decision to end Title 42, under the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also after pressure from dozens of organizations and several Democratic congressmen, as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
Representative Raúl Ruiz, president of the CHC, said that:
“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus made it very clear that the Title 42 policy is a public health emergency policy that was instituted under the Trump Administration during its agenda of hatred and fear against immigrants,” he added, noting that the pandemic situation has changed, as there are now enough COVID-19 tests and vaccines to prevent infections.
Dozens of civil organizations had pressured the Democratic president to end the policy, which prevents immigrants from applying for asylum and sends them back to Mexico or their countries of origin.
Finally, while a final decision is being made on this issue, some of Biden's plans to counteract what would be an increase in migrants at the border if the title were to be terminated continue to emerge, including the processing of between 6,000 and 18,000 asylum cases daily once the health policy is eliminated.
It was warned that deportations under Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) would continue to be expedited for immigrants who do not qualify for asylum, and that new immigrant detention centers would be expanded and constructed. The government was also preparing to implement new programs at the border, including granting extraordinary discretionary powers to asylum officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and prosecutors from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office, to expedite processes and alleviate the backlog in Immigration Court, which currently has more than 1.7 million pending cases.
News report based on information from: Univision and El Diario.