RCUSA welcome news of the end of Title 42

Washington, DC – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the US would finally end Title 42. Two years ago, then-President Trump invoked a little known public health policy known as Title 42, effectively shuttering the southern border to people seeking asylum. From the start of the pandemic, epidemiologists and other medical experts repeatedly established that Title 42 would not and did not protect public health, and in fact, put migrants themselves at greater risk of illness.

Title 42’s implementation has been rooted in bias, targeting vulnerable migrants, particularly Haitians and other Black asylum seekers. In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, outlets have reported Title 42 being waived on a case-by-case basis, allowing vulnerable Ukrainians to seek asylum.

“We are grateful for the news that Title 42 is coming to an end,” said RCUSA’s Executive Director John Slocum. “This policy has put thousands of asylum seekers at greater risk of violence while pursuing their legal right of asylum. It is challenging to quantify the level of harm created by Title 42, with its clearly racialized implementation which helped to feed xenophobia and public health misinformation. Ending Title 42 is just the first step in restoring the rule of law and addressing the harm done to people seeking asylum and the US asylum program. The US must also end MPP, and dedicate the necessary resources to address the asylum backlog while ensuring that people seeking asylum have access to adequate legal representation in support of their claims. RCUSA and its members are eager to work with the administration to bring positive change to this essential, lifesaving program.”

Media Contact: Sarah Seniuk, sseniuk@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

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