Title 42: A Shameful Legacy of the Biden Administration
For Immediate Release: May 11, 2023
EL PASO, TEXAS – Today, Title 42, an archaic public health order used to prevent asylum seekers from seeking safety at our southern border, expires. An asylum ban proposed by the Biden administration is set to replace it, putting hundreds of thousands of migrants even more at risk.
Marisa Limón Garza, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center’s Executive Director in El Paso, Texas, shared the following statement:
“For more than three years, Title 42 has ravaged border communities and the country, separating countless families and putting thousands in danger. Tens of thousands of people have been stranded in Mexico — waiting for their chance to seek safety in the U.S.
“Las Americas has provided direct assistance to more than 4,000 people seeking safety via pathways made unavailable under Title 42, especially for Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ immigrants, as well as those with severe medical conditions. As we reflect on the senseless tragedies this policy caused and look to the future of immigration law in the U.S, we must highlight that any new solutions to border processing prioritize the individuals seeking safety rather than on deterrence measures that are proven ineffective and which increase the power of immigration enforcement agencies to remove individuals and families from the U.S. with little to no oversight or options for judicial review.
“The end of title 42 presented the Biden administration with an opportunity to restore humanity to our immigration system. It is deeply troubling that despite the immense harm caused by Title 42, the Biden administration has once again, deliberately, turned its back on vulnerable people seeking safety at our borders with its proposed asylum ban. We need long-term solutions, including more accessible legal pathways to enter the U.S., not less. We cannot continue to rely on expedited removal and rapid screening processes in out-of-reach detention centers, which are ill-equipped to provide adequate language access, access to legal counsel, and medical care for migrants across the southern border.
“As a nation that upholds human rights, we must meet this moment with resolve. It is time we all step up and do our part to advocate for a better way forward.”