The U.S. is lifting the COVID-era border policy restricting asylum. Now what?

The Biden administration announced Friday it would be lifting a COVID-era border policy originally enacted under former President Donald Trump on May 23, CNBC reports.
The measure, known as Title 42, has allowed the U.S. to expeditiously expel migrants at the southern border without permitting them to seek asylum for reasons of public health. The CDC has governed both the measure and how long it's remained in place.
Well, what happens now that there's an end in sight? For starters, on a basic level, the U.S. will return to the traditional immigration protocols "that have been in place for decades," CNN notes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But not everyone's happy. Though critics of the policy have welcomed its rollback, others are worried about a resulting influx of migrants at the border. In some scenarios, officials have estimated 12,000 to 18,000 migrants entering U.S. custody daily.
It's for those reasons that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says he's none too pleased about the administration's decision, claiming it incites "violence and lawlessness."
"Texas must take even more unprecedented action to keep our communities safe by using any and all constitutional powers to protect its own territory," Abbott wrote in a statement.
With Abbott so vehemently opposed to the policy's end, is it possible Texas challenges the decision in court? BuzzFeed News immigration reporter Hamed Aleaziz says he "would not be surprised" if so.
Additionally, others are wondering how this decision might impact Democrats ahead of the midterms. Even though the White House is bringing about an end to a controversial policy, might Democrats' political "obliteration" be on its way?
But as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly said, Title 42 was never meant to be an immigration policy; rather, it was always a public health measure.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
The horse racing industry is caught up in the migrant debate
Under the Radar At least 78% of the workers on race tracks are reportedly immigrants