Focus on immigrants to the United States | The days of the controversial Title 42 imposed by Trump are numbered; it will expire on this date

the policy that allows the United States to almost automatically expel immigrants to Mexico without giving them the possibility to request asylum, Its days will be numbered after the public health emergency is lifted on May 11, 2023.

Democratic President Joe Biden’s government said that this emergency declared in 2020 to deal with the Kovid-19 epidemic would be lifted on the same day.

Migration is a problem that affects even minors – photo: reuters

The decision has had a significant impact on the border with Mexico, where authorities have stopped 863,929 migrants since the start of the fiscal year to December 31, according to official figures.

Most of them were promptly expelled, participating in Title 42, a health rule activated by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020. With the stated objective of curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Migrants are detained by US Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, United States, after entering the United States from Mexico to request asylum. – photo: reuters

The government wanted to repeal the rule, but it was shelved last December pending the Supreme Court verdict.

Theoretically, once the health emergency is lifted, Title 42, a public health law enacted in 1944, would no longer be active. Which currently allows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to decide whether a contagious disease is at risk of spreading.

In January, the government announced that it had agreed with Mexico to let in up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, provided they apply for a visa in the United States, wherever they apply. Be the sponsor and arrive by plane. – photo: reuters

Furthermore, without a health emergency, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court would even consider the matter, as the litigation would cease to exist.

White House deputy press secretary, Olivia Dalton, however, sowed uncertainty by announcing that the government had already proposed lifting Title 42 “and was blocked by court orders.” “We don’t know when the Supreme Court will rule on this matter,” he said aboard Air Force One.

The White House has given itself until May to outline a legal mechanism to control the flow of migrants.

Biden was under pressure from within his own party to end Title 42. Last week, nearly 80 Congressmen called for respecting the right to seek asylum in the country.

Migrant pedestrians traveling through Central America have become a social problem for countries in that part of the continent. – photo: Guatemala Migration Press Photo

In contrast, Republicans have multiplied court cases to prevent it from being suspended, and they blame it for the immigration crisis along the border with Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security has been saying for months that it is preparing to repeal Title 42. In January, the government announced that it had agreed with Mexico to let in up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, provided they apply for a visa in the United States, wherever they apply. Be the sponsor and arrive by plane.

In theory, once the state of health emergency is lifted, Title 42 would cease to be active and immigrants would not be subject to this measure. – photo: Associated Press

During the state of emergency, millions of Americans received free COVID testing, vaccines and treatment against the disease. Vaccination will continue to be covered by private and some public insurance.

In contrast, private insurance will no longer be compelled to cover the cost of eight Covid self-tests per month, nor some treatments that are directly related to Covid-19.