The U.S. Administration has decided to end Title 42. As of May 23, 2022, migrants on the other side of the southern border will no longer have to wait in Mexico. They will be able to cross the border and apply directly for asylum in the United States.
The announcement was made Friday by U.S. authorities. The Center for Infectious Disease Control, which had recommended this policy in March 2020 at the request of Donald Trump in order to “limit the spread of the coronavirus”, says “it is no longer necessary to prevent immigrants from entering the United States on the basis of protecting public health.”
On the basis of this public health law, commonly known as Title 42, the administration of Donald Trump had decided in March 2020, following the discovery of the pandemic, that immigrants wishing to apply for asylum in the United States should wait in Mexico until their fate is determined. This policy also allowed the U.S. government to deport migrants without giving them the opportunity to apply for asylum. This constitutes a violation of international norms and principles, according to several experts in international law.
With the lifting of this measure, the U.S. government estimates that the number of migrants crossing the southern border could reach 18,000 per day, up from an average of 5,900 last February. Temporary shelters are already being built at several border points in Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona to house the migrants. With this move, Biden’s administration intends to avoid repeating the mistakes of July 2021, when several thousand migrants took refuge under the Des Rio pond in Texas. The government was then the subject of harsh criticism.
In addition to building housing, the federal authorities have also decided to strengthen border security by sending border agents to several strategic points along the U.S.-Mexico border.
With the midterm elections coming up in November, Democrats should now prepare for attacks from Republicans who see illegal immigrants as a threat to homeland security.
With the war in Ukraine, the number of migrants waiting in Mexico has increased dramatically. The American president recently announced that the United States was ready to receive 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. This decision was welcomed by immigrant rights organizations, who criticized the fact that South American migrants who have faced serious difficulties in their respective countries have not been given the same treatment.
Thanks to this decision of Joe Biden’s administration, thousands of Haitian immigrants scattered in several Mexican states for several months will finally be able to continue their pilgrimage in search of a better life in the United States.
However, it is important to remember that Title 42 will not give migrants the opportunity to be automatically admitted to Uncle Sam. They must make an application for asylum based on well-founded evidence that they are subject to persecution because of their political, social, religious, and sexual orientation among other things. The U.S. government will have to decide whether the claim is credible before accepting or rejecting it.
Millions of asylum applications are currently being processed in the United States, which is approving fewer and fewer cases. The average approval rate is over 30% according to data published by human rights organizations. However, filing an asylum application entitles applicants to a work permit. It can also take several years before a final decision is made. This usually allows some applicants to change their status through marriage or other means.