The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the termination of the harmful Title 42 expulsion policy on April 1, but immigration advocates are frustrated that the implementation won’t begin until May 23. According to the CDC website the extra time is needed to implement COVID-19 mitigation protocols. This includes COVID-19 vaccines for migrants and preparing to resume regular migration under. Title 8,The list includes a wide range of reasons why someone could be deported. These include having committed a crime within five year of being admitted to the U.S., violating an order of protection, and being in possession of drugs. It was a welcome news for immigration advocates who have been fighting to end a racist policy. Advocates say there are still many questions regarding the implementation of the policy. They also point out that migrants who seek safety cannot wait for nearly two months to receive help.
“The announcement to terminate Title 42 is long overdue,” said Haddy Gassama, the UndocuBlack Network’s national director of policy and advocacy. “Organizations such as UndocuBlack and Haitian Bridge Alliance and many others have been pushing for the end of this policy for pretty much the two years since its inception. But, we weren’t able to celebrate immediately because there were so many questions around the implementation of that termination and what it would look like. There’s still quite a bit of advocacy, but it’s certainly a welcomed first step.”
Title 42 is a World War II-era title that is 76 years old public health lawThis allows the CDC to ban certain individuals from entering the U.S. if they fear the spread of viruses or diseases. The policy was enacted by former President Donald Trump in March 2020. CDC’s scientists sayingThere was no evidence that it would slow down the spread of coronavirus. President Joe Biden has been president since then. continued the illegal policyThe U.S. has a policy of turning away most migrants crossing the border from Mexico to claim legal asylum and denial of lawful asylum. The U.S. has a policy of denying lawful asylum and turning away the vast majority of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. expelled over 1.7 million peopleWithout due process, at the Southern border recidivism ratesThe policy immediately saw a rise in popularity.
Advocates for the policy exposes migrantsMexico violence, which deprives them from their right of lawful asylum and forces them back to the unstable and dangerous conditions from which they fled. It alsodisproportionately affects black and brown migrants. According to Witness at the BorderSince September 2021, 175 ICE Air flights to Haiti have been made, bringing back approximately 19,000 Haitian migrants. There have been 212 ICE Air flights to Haiti since January 2021, bringing back approximately 21,000 Haitian migrants. As the clock ticks towards May 23, migrants will be continued to be expelled under this policy.
“The harm that Title 42 is inflicting is still happening,” said Ronald Claude, the director of policy and advocacy for Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). “There is a lot of concern about what is to come and how that is going to negatively impact Black migrants.”
Claude and other advocates worry that Title 42’s termination will lead to more enforcement “Remain in Mexico,” another policy that deters migrants and asylum-seekers from safely entering the U.S. “Remain in Mexico,” or “Migrant Protection Protocols,” makes them wait in Mexico during their immigration proceedings.
“We can’t switch one evil for the other,” said Cynthia Garcia, United We Dream’s national campaigns manager for community protection. “We have to continue to build out an infrastructure that advances racial justice in the immigration lens.”
Claude said there should be a community-oriented approach to welcoming migrants into the country that collaborates with advocates for the Black migrant community to create a “fair, just, compassionate, and dignified system that was promised from the onset of this administration and that has not been reciprocated.”
Garcia stated that the Biden administration should support border communities that already support migrants by connecting them to health care, secure housing and the ability provide for their families.
“Instead of falling for the false choice of increasing the budget for ICE and CBP, or increasing the number of detention centers, we should actually increase funding for community centers, for relief for folks to have access to health care,” Garcia said. “That doesn’t just impact immigrants, it impacts the community at large.”
The news follows the Biden administration’s national messaging that the COVID-19 pandemic is in decline and the public can return to normal life. In March, the breadth of Title 42’s implementation was also limited. The U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia stated that the administration had been successful. could not send migrantsTo countries where they could face persecution or torture. Separately, the CDC terminated the policyFor unaccompanied minors in general. Advocates argue that termination should be applied to all migrants, regardless if they are single adults or of their demographics.
“Prioritizing family units over single adults could result again in disproportionately harming and endangering not only Black migrants, but also migrants who identify as LGBTQ+ who oftentimes present at the southern border as single adults,” Gassama said. “This interim period is one that is very dangerous. We hope that between now and May 23, while the administration is getting their ducks in a row, that there shouldn’t be any expulsion flights.”
Republican lawmakers have been following the CDC’s announcement ever since. trying to passBy the end of this week, a coronavirus-relief bill with a Title 42 amend will be in place. Three Republican-led States (Missouri and Arizona) also have this bill. already suedThe Biden administration was upset about Title 42 being lifted.
“We need to be able to push back against that harmful narrative that Republicans are driving,” Garcia said. “We need to continue to push against the fearmongering and lean into the Biden administration to continue to open up the asylum process.”
Claude Garcia, Gassama, and Garcia stated until May 23 that they want the end of Title 42 immediately. This will allow the Biden administration, to fully restore the asylum program and to establish a process for addressing millions of migrants who were unfairly deported because of the policy.
“This decision is the result of the hard work and fighting of almost two years from Black immigrants rights organizations and local community members,” Gassama said. “But we know the fight is far from over.”
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