Today a federal district judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction in Arizona v. CDC, temporarily blocking the Biden administration from terminating the Title 42 expulsion policy as planned on May 23.
“This misguided decision will keep an illegal and racist policy in place, exposing people seeking asylum to untold violence and suffering,” Melissa Crow, Director of Litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) said today. “Title 42 is a public health directive, not an immigration enforcement measure. But the expulsion policy has failed on both accounts, exacerbating the spread of COVID-19 and sowing chaos at the border. At this critical moment, we are counting on our leaders to stand strong in their values, reject political fear-mongering, and keep fighting to end the policy, once and for all. The Biden administration must defend the CDC’s decision to terminate Title 42, and lawmakers who profess support for immigrant rights and racial justice should wholeheartedly reject any legislation that would codify the policy.”