Immigration Equality’s Executive Director Slams Biden Administration’s Extension of Title 42

Statement from Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director, Immigration Equality:

“Using Title 42 to block the entry of refugees into the U.S. is an absolute abomination. It goes against what Americans have stood for throughout our nation’s history—creating a safe and prosperous future for people who escape persecution. President Biden has continued a Trump-era policy to expel people at the U.S.- Mexico border under the false pretext of public health. In fact, President Biden has shamefully banned half a million immigrants looking for a better life. In only six months, he has increased the number of expulsions over the last Administration by 67%.

“Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended Title 42 indefinitely, and with it the false narrative that Title 42 keeps the Delta variant out of the United States. But, as the administration already knows, Delta is already prevalent in the U.S. The hard truth is that the policy is really about keeping vulnerable human beings out. People who are LGBTQ or living with HIV, Black and African migrants, are all at extreme risk in Mexico. Anti-LGBTQ and racist violence at the border is well-documented. Title 42 is not protecting America’s health; it’s putting immigrants and refugees in mortal peril.”

“Another government justification for Title 42 is overcapacity of detention facilities. But here is the obvious solution to the dangerously crowded centers: release all detained people. We had hoped that with a new president in office, America would finally distance itself from the unforgivable horrors perpetrated against immigrants by the Trump administration. But President Biden’s knee-jerk reaction is to do exactly what his predecessor did. We call on President Biden and CDC officials to end this policy immediately. It’s dangerous, immoral, and illegal.”