An appeals court on Friday rejected efforts by conservative states to maintain Trump-era asylum restrictions on immigrants seeking asylum.
With the limits set to expire next week, thousands of immigrants packed shelters on Mexico’s border. The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit means the restrictions remained on track to expire Wednesday, unless further appeals are filed. A final decision could come down to the wire.
Republican-led states were pushing to keep the asylum restrictions that former President Donald Trump at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Immigrants have been denied rights to seek asylum under U.S. and international law 2.5 million times since March 2020 on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The public-health rule known as Title 42 has left some immigrants biding time in Mexico.
IF TITLE 42 ENDS, BIDEN’S BROKEN BORDER WILL ONLY GET WORSE
Advocates for immigrants had argued that the U.S. was abandoning its long-standing history and commitments to offer refuge to people around the world fleeing persecution, and sued to end the use of Title 42. They’ve also argued the restrictions were a pretext by Trump for restricting migration, and in any case, vaccines and other treatments make that argument outdated.
A judge last month sided with them and set Dec. 21 as the deadline for the federal government to end the practice.
Ahead of that, illegal border crossings of single adults dipped in November, according to a Justice Department court filing released Friday, though it gave no explanation for why. It also did not account for families traveling with young children and children traveling alone.
Border cities, most notably El Paso, Texas, are facing a daily influx of immigrants that the Biden administration expects to grow if asylum restrictions are lifted.
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Tijuana, the largest Mexican border city, has an estimated 5,000 people in more than 30 shelters, Enrique Lucero, the city’s director of migrant affairs said this week.
