Judge KOs COV deport rule

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Biden administration can no longer cite COVID-19 to rapidly deport migrant families — despite record numbers of largely unvaccinated migrants seeking to enter the United States even as coronavirus patients clog hospitals and deaths mount.

DC District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s ruling targeted the CDC’s Title 42 order, which has already allowed for the swift deportation of nearly 1 million people.

“In view of the wide availability of testing, vaccines, and other . . . measures, the Court is not convinced that the transmission of COVID-19 during border processing cannot be significantly mitigated,” Sullivan wrote.

“Indeed, the government has successfully implemented mitigation measures with regard to processing unaccompanied minors in order to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission.”

Advocates cheered the ruling. Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, told CNN, “President Biden should have ended this cruel and lawless policy long ago.”Steven