IMMIGRATION: THE BORDER LEGACY OF TITLE 42 EXPULSIONS

WHEN PRESIDENT JOE Biden announced in April that he would not extend a controversial public health order that allowed U.S. immigration officials to expel migrants, many on the right criticized the move as premature or misguided. But the order has actually made the border less secure.

- FIONA HARRIGAN

The Public Health Service Act, part of Title 42 of the U.S. Code, authorizes federal officials to control the interstate and international spread of diseases. The Trump administration invoked Title 42 in late March 2020 to keep would-be migrants from crossing into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, ostensibly to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Biden repeatedly extended the order despite the harm to migrants and objections from U.S. physician groups. A federal judge has now blocked the administration from lifting the order, signaling a potential legal battle ahead.