KINNEY COUNTY, Texas—For almost three years, Title 42 has remained in place, long after the public health emergency ostensibly ended.
Title 42 is an emergency public health order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and designed to seal the borders during a pandemic. President Donald Trump enacted the provision in March 2020 and it hasn’t been lifted since; although its demise has been periodically scheduled.
It was again set to end on Dec. 21, but a Supreme Court ruling has left it in place temporarily to allow the Biden administration to respond.
Title 42’s longevity is being credited to it being one of the remaining provisions to stem the tide of illegal immigration. It allowed for border agents to ensure that only essential travel occurred at U.S. borders. It directed that illegal immigrants could be quickly expelled back into Mexico as a pandemic precaution, rather than be processed under Title 8 immigration law, which is a much more protracted process inside the United States….