The Biden administration will continue authorizing the rapid deportation of illegal immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 in border facilities, a pandemic-era policy first put in place under President Trump.
The order, known as Title 42, means the illegal immigrants are not granted the opportunity to request asylum in the United States.
Public health officials must evaluate the continued need for the order every 60 days. The latest assessment was due on February 2.
"At this time, it remains in effect," a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson told CBS News. "The current reassessment examined the present impact of the pandemic throughout the United States and at the U.S. borders, taking special note of the surge in cases and hospitalizations since December due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant."
The Biden administration's decision to retain the Trump-era expulsions has alarmed human rights groups, public health experts and advocates for asylum-seekers, who are challenging the policy in federal court.
But the Biden administration has vigorously defended the emergency order, telling a federal court earlier this month that its termination would pose a "serious danger" to the public health of U.S. communities.
At this point, the Biden administration has enforced Title 42 for over a year, longer than the Trump administration. It has carried out over 1 million migrant expulsions in 11 months, compared to 400,000 expulsions during Trump's last year in office, according U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. (CBS)
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The Left had a meltdown on social media.
Shameful. https://t.co/vtSII6VkYp
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 4, 2022
Title 42 misuses the pandemic to justify immediately expelling migrants attempting to cross the border and deprives them of the right to seek asylum.
— Antonio Arellano (@AntonioArellano) February 4, 2022
This is wrong. https://t.co/ZjTPT6YkCd
If you’re not mad as hell at this abandonment of the Statue of Liberty’s clarion call and President Biden’s own campaign promise, then you’re not paying attention. https://t.co/rRKjVKy5s7
— Joe Sanberg (@JosephNSanberg) February 4, 2022
The pandemic is over! Except the fascist parts we liked, that is. https://t.co/MgucD4DB2L
— Marshall Steinbaum ?? (@Econ_Marshall) February 4, 2022
literally what’s even good about this presidency https://t.co/JkPDCtGexq
— Friedrich Bengals (@ElSangito) February 4, 2022
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