GOP States File Lawsuit to Stop Biden Lifting Title 42 Order
11:44 GMT 04.04.2022 (Updated: 12:16 GMT 04.04.2022)
© REUTERS / JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ
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Title 42 was frequently used by the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent many migrants from entering the United States. Recently, the Biden administration has decided to ditch the provision.
Three GOP states announced that they have sued the Biden administration over its decision to rescind the Title 42 public health order, arguing that the decision is unlawful and poses a threat to the country, Fox News reported on Monday.
"This suit challenges an imminent, man-made, self-inflicted calamity: the abrupt elimination of the only safety valve preventing this administration's disastrous border policies from devolving into an unmitigated catastrophe", the lawsuit filed by the Attorney Generals of Arizona, Louisiana, and Missouri reads.
On 1 April, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued an order terminating Title 42 - a provision that allowed US border officials to expel migrants citing public health concerns triggered by the raging coronavirus pandemic.
The CDC deemed the provision "no longer necessary", and announced that it will be halted on 23 May.
"To be clear, most individuals who crossed the border without legal authorisation will be promptly placed into removal proceedings and if they are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States, they'll be expeditiously removed", White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said Thursday, explaining the Biden administration's decision.
Still, the move to end Title 42 prompted a wave of criticism, particularly from conservatives, who insisted that ditching the provision will worsen the migrant crisis in the United States.
"By revoking our policies under Title 42, the Biden administration will create an immigration crisis on our southern border even worse than we saw last year. President Biden continues to listen to progressive activists rather than secure America's borders", former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
His sentiment was echoed by House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who said that the termination of Title 42 will "invite a lawless surge of illegal border crossings, enriching human traffickers and overwhelming our great Border Patrol".
Former President Donald Trump also said that the repeal of Title 42 will cause a spike in illegal migration.
Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) argued that if the Biden administration seeks to end Title 42, then it should also lift all coronavirus restrictions in the country.
"If the Biden administration suspends Title 42 on May 23rd, essentially they must end all COVID-19 related rules, mandates, and laws", she said. "If the Democrats want to allow millions of illegal aliens to invade America then they don't care one single bit about anyones [sic] safety".
According to estimations by The Hill, once Title 42 is lifted, border crossings could jump from the current numbers of around 7,000 to as high as 18,000 crossings a day. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on 1 April, saying that it "is always preparing for the ebb and flow of migration patterns".
