U.S. extends border policy allowing officials to expel migrants


The Biden administration will keep invoking the public health rule Title 42 during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the U.S. to continue turning away migrants at the border without a chance to seek asylum.
Coronavirus cases are up across the U.S. because of the highly contagious Delta variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said if non-citizens are allowed to come into the U.S. from Mexico or Canada, it "creates a serious danger" of further spread.
While many single migrant adults and families have been turned away at the southern border, under the Biden administration, unaccompanied children are allowed to enter the U.S. The administration had been planning on lifting the public health rule this summer, and several immigration advocacy groups have been pushing for an end to it, arguing that the Trump administration imposed the rule not because officials wanted to stop the spread of COVID-19, but because they could use it to limit immigration, The New York Times reports.
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.
The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of the rule. In response, the Biden administration said it has to be in place because the immigration system is overwhelmed, border facilities are already overcrowded, and there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections among migrants and border officers.
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
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Deportations: Miller's threat to the courts
Feature The Trump administration is considering suspending habeas corpus to speed up deportations without due process
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media