Action

Washington - On Tuesday, a federal judge vacated the Title 42 policy, which since March 2020 has permitted border agents to expel people seeking asylum to danger under the false pretext of the pandemic. Judge Emmet Sullivan of the D.C. District Court handed down a major victory in Huisha-Huisha v. Mayorkas, a class action lawsuit on behalf of refugee families, ruling that Title 42 violates U.S. law and has no basis in public health.

Since its inception, Title 42 has blocked thousands of asylum seekers from pursuing their legal claims, forcing them back to perilous conditions in Mexico or returning them to the very countries they have fled. The policy has caused disproportionate harm to Haitians and other Black asylum seekers. Despite pledging to end Title 42 earlier this year, in September, the Biden administration expanded the policy to Venezuelans fleeing persecution.

The #WelcomeWithDignity campaign for asylum rights has long advocated for an end to Title 42, and now calls on the Biden administration to move swiftly to restart asylum at the border and welcome all people seeking refuge with dignity...

“For the past two years, Title 42 has blocked hundreds of thousands of people from exercising their right to seek protection in the United States. These people, including families with young children, had dreams of building a life free from danger,” said Dr. Kim Lamberty, Quixote Center Executive Director. “Deterrence-based immigration policies are just as ineffective as they are cruel. We hope the U.S. government takes this court ruling as an opportunity to lead with compassion instead of xenophobia and restore humane and orderly asylum processing.”

Excerpted from Welcome with Dignity Press release, Nov. 16, 2022 - see full release here.