US judge to block plan to lift COVID- 19 border restrictions for migrants
A federal judge in Louisiana said Monday that he intends to rule that US authorities cannot immediately proceed with plans to lift pandemic restrictions that empowered US agents at the Mexico border to turn back migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum.
US District Judge Robert Summerhays stated his intention after a hearing in a case brought by 21 states against the administration of President
Joe Biden. The judge said both sides would confer regarding the specific terms of a temporary restraining order and would attempt to reach agreement.
The ruling would upend a decision by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to terminate the so- called Title 42 border order by May 23.
Title 42 allows US authorities to rapidly expel migrants, including asylum seekers, to Mexico and other countries to avoid overcrowding in border stations that could exacerbate the spread of COVID- 19.
Biden, a Democrat, has struggled to implement what he describes as a more humane and orderly system at the USMexico border amid record numbers of migrants arrested while crossing illegally, unfavorable court rulings, and political opposition from Republicans and some in his own party.
The judge’s statement is a victory for Republicans who said ending the order would have increased illegal immigration and what they characterized as meritless asylum claims.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry praised the decision on Twitter, writing that the judge had granted the states’ request to “halt this enormous threat to our national security.” The Department of Justice declined to comment.
The CDC said in early April that Title 42 was no longer needed to fight COVID- 19 due to the increased availability of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools to counter the disease.
In the Louisiana lawsuit, a coalition of 21 states led by Arizona, Louisiana and Missouri, all with Republican attorneys general, are seeking to stop the termination of the order put in place under former president Donald Trump in early 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.