By Camila Alvarez
Last week, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts issued a stay, pausing the termination of Title 42 days before it was set to end. An order this week now keeps the stay in place. Title 42 continues to turn away millions of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S/ Mexico border.
We condemn SCOTUS for undermining the District Court in order to push a conservative political agenda and further curtail vulnerable communities from seeking refuge and protection. As we enter 2023, we are still seeing the effects of the inhumane, xenophobic policies of the Trump Administration with the continued practice of Title 42 and similar policies that aim to hinder access to asylum for those that need it most.
We are two years into the Biden Administration and little has been done to undo the harm caused by the Trump Administration or to strengthen the right to seek asylum. Refugees continue to be unlawfully denied access to seek protection. At the same time, migrants in the U.S. continue to await action on protections promised by the Biden Administration. We call on the Biden Administration to take swift action to exhaust all possible avenues and protect refugees and all immigrants now.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the States challenging the end of Title 42 can intervene in February 2023.
Camila Alvarez is the legal director of the Central American Resource for CARECEN, the Central American Resource Center