A federal court is upholding former President Trump’s Title 42 border policy.
Background: In an effort to combat the raging Covid-19 pandemic former President Trump signed into effect a series of health initiatives aimed to curb the spread of the virus and illegal border crossings.
Among the policies enacted, Trump focused on migrants traveling across the border which could easily transmit the virus. Title 42 would require migrants applying for asylum to stay in their home countries instead of being allowed to stay in the U.S.
Since entering the White House, President Biden has repeatedly attempted to overturn the public health policy but has been met by an onslaught of legal challenges.
What Happened: On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Biden administration may continue its use of the Trump-era policy.
What the Court Says: “It is likely that [Title 42] grants the Executive sweeping authority to prohibit aliens from entering the United States during a public-health emergency; that the Executive may expel aliens who violate such a prohibition; and that under…the Convention Against Torture, the Executive cannot expel aliens to countries where their ‘life or freedom would be threatened,’” the three-judge panel wrote in a unanimous opinion.
