United States to end COVID-19 order blocking migrants at Southern border

The United States plans to end a COVID-era order which asylum seekers and other migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border by May 23rd, a U.S. official told Reuters, noting that the decision has not yet been rubber stamped.

The pandemic-related policy, which is known as Title 42, has effectively closed down the U.S. asylum system at the border with Mexico. This has led to Democrats, medical experts and the United Nations putting pressure on the United States to end it, however Republicans argue it will encourage more migrants to enter illegally.

The order was put in place in March 2020 during the administration of former Republican President Donald Trump to curb the spread of coronavirus in crowded border facilities. Since that time, more than a million migrants apprehended at the border have been rapidly expelled to Mexico or other countries, often within hours of being caught.

President Joe Biden, who took office in January 2021, said on Wednesday that his administration would make a decision regarding the policy “soon.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which issued the order, said the agency was finalizing a standard 60-day review of it and would release more information later this week. 

Border arrests soared to record levels in 2021 during Biden’s first year in office and are expected to climb even higher this year. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said on Tuesday.

Republicans have blasted Biden for his approach to border security. Texas and other Republican-led states have sued to block Biden’s immigration moves and could potentially challenge the decision to end Title 42.

U.N. officials, and some Democrats have argued that Title 42 forced migrants back to precarious and dangerous conditions in Mexico.