On Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily stopped the ending of Title 42, which was originally set to end on Wednesday, according to CNN.
Title 42 is a COVID-19-era policy created by the Trump administration that allows the U.S. to reject migrants at the Mexican border in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, CNN added.
The news: The split decision was made as a result of an emergency appeal filed by 19 states earlier in the day on Monday, per ABC.
- Axios reported that this move follows an appeals court decision to retain the policy last week. It is currently unknown how long the temporary block will stay in place.
Details: Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council told Axios that the decision is procedural and doesn’t give insight into how the Supreme Court will actually rule on this issue — if it were to be presented to them.
- Axios states that Title 42 could remain in effect for months if the dispute were to reach the Supreme Court.
Why? The 19 states who filed the emergency appeal to keep Title 42 in place did so citing a “crisis of unprecedented proportions” at the southern border, per ABC.
- “Getting rid of Title 42 will recklessly and needlessly endanger more Americans and migrants by exacerbating the catastrophe that is occurring at our southern border,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in a statement, via ABC. “Unlawful crossings are estimated to surge from 7,000 per day to as many as 18,000.”
- If Title 42 is allowed to expire, the Biden administration will adopt a different approach, that will deny migrants from entering the U.S. unless they can provide proof that they were denied asylum from other countries on their way to the U.S., the Texas Tribune reported.
About Title 42: Title 42 was created by the Trump administration in the early days of the COVID pandemic, which allowed migrants to be expelled from the U.S. border in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus within the U.S., per CNN.
- The title has stirred controversy since its passing. Critics of Title 42 and immigrant rights activists argue that Title 42 was just a way for U.S. officials to keep as many migrants out of the country as possible, CNN reported.