White House considering whether to keep COVID-19 border controls in place

According to new reports, the White House is apparently considering keeping COVID-related border restrictions in place, at least temporarily, even though they are set to expire next month.

President Joe Biden’s advisers are discussing whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should extend the use of Title 42, as doing so could heavily impact the influx of migrants across the southern border.

Title 42 became a longstanding public health provision after it was instituted in March 2020 by then-President Donald Trump in order to keep migrants out over coronavirus concerns.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that delaying putting an end to Title 42 would require congressional approval. “There are a range of ideas out there in Congress – Democrats, Republicans, others – some who support a delay of Title 42 implementation, some who strongly oppose it,” she said.

Psaki continued in her statement, “And there are a range of other ideas of reforming our immigration system. This would all require congressional action. We’re happy to have that conversation with them.”

The policy decision will ultimately affect public health as well as border and immigration enforcement and human services, and it comes at a time when the nation continues to loosen coronavirus measures.

In Arizona, the effect could be even more dramatic in areas where border communities have been pushing their capacities in order to manage increasing numbers of immigrants.

The implementation of Title 42 has led to hundreds of thousands of thousands of individuals being removed from the United States, some of whom did not have the chance to seek asylum.