Expectations are growing around the end, this week, of the application of Title 42 in the United States, the order that has been in place since 2020 and that allowed for the rapid deportation of migrants at the land border.

One of the key questions about ending the use of Title 42 is what will happen to migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, the AP notes. President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing for an increase in the number of migrants.

State Department asks to prevent irregular migration to United States after lifting Title 42

Although the end of the measure will be announced next Thursday, May 11, a last-minute legal appeal cannot be ruled out to keep the order in effect.
Photo: AFP

As early as April 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the measure was not necessary. They argued that there was more access to vaccines and treatments against Covid-19.

However, a lawsuit from Republican states succeeded in maintaining order. And while the end of the measure is announced on Thursday, May 11, a last-minute legal appeal could keep the order in effect, the AP added.

The measure was applied by the Customs and Border Protection Service, which immediately deported migrants, including those seeking asylum. Photo: AFP

What is Title 42?

The set of restrictions that allows limiting migration to protect public health is known as Title 42. The name is due to the faculty being awarded by Title 42 of a public health law of 1944.

On March 20, 2020, the CDC issued the order noting that it was necessary to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The measure was applied by the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP), with migrants immediately deported, including those seeking asylum.

The order indicated that the areas where migrants were held were not intended to house people in quarantine or maintain social distancing.

How title 42 affected the migration

Since three years ago Title 42 has been applied more than 2.8 million times to deport migrants arriving in the United States through land borders. The measure only makes an exception for children traveling unaccompanied by an adult.

Another feature of the health order is that it was applied unevenly based on the nationality of the migrants, making it more difficult to expel people from Venezuela and Cuba due to their humanitarian situation.

Going forward, there is concern that migration to the United States will increase with the abolition of Title 42, as migrants may believe there is a greater chance of being granted asylum, which would overwhelm authorities’ attention spans.