On Friday, a federal judge handed down a ruling that blocked the Biden Administration from ending Title 42. Title 42 is a COVID-era mandate that sent about fifty percent of illegal migrants back to their home country. Earlier this year, the Biden Administration had announced that the CDC was prepared to roll back the mandate, although multiple lawmakers had pleaded with the president to reconsider. The federal judge worked out of a district court in Louisiana, and he had previously placed a temporary injunction against the Biden Administration while he considered a final ruling.
Now that the judge has blocked the ending of Title 42, the Department of Justice has announced that it will appeal the decision. Title 42 was set to expire on Monday, May 23.
Judge Robert Summerhays of the Western District of Louisiana was the official hearing the case regarding Title 42.
The Department of Justice commented on Friday: “The CDC has now determined, in its expert opinion, that continued reliance on this authority is no longer warranted in light of the current public health circumstances. That decision was a lawful exercise of CDC’s authority.”
The White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said during the daily press briefing that the Biden Administration did not agree with the ruling. While the White House has pushed to end this mandate, even Democratic lawmakers have pushed back against the Biden Administration. In particular, Democrats from border states, such as Senator Mark Kelly (AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) as well as Texas’ Henry Cuellar and even New Hampshire’s Maggie Hasan have asked President Biden to reconsider the dropping of the mandate.
As of April, when the Biden Administration first announced that it would be ending Title 42, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced that they had documented at least 1.06 million migrant encounters during fiscal year 2022, which began in October of last year.
Fox News‘ Bill Melugin reports daily on migrant encounters and provides video documenting the happenings at the Southern United States border. On Friday night, 120 individuals cross illegally at Eagle Pass, TX. Of the 120, Melugin reported he observed mostly single adults. Melugin also reported that on Thursday night a man wanted in the murder of a Mexican politican crossed the border at Eagle Pass. On Wednesday night, a group of immigrants hidden in the bed of a smuggler’s truck fled on foot when the woman was stopped in Bracketville, TX. Texas state troopers assisted in capturing some of the illegals. Melugin reports that these situations happen on a daily basis.
The border has been a consistent issue over which the Republicans and Democrats in DC squabble, but more and more Democrats representing border states are concerned about the growing problem. Citizens living along the border report property damage, and the Texas Farm Bureau published a report earlier this year regarding the issue. While some lawmakers believe that amnesty should be granted to those who cross the border, there are those who would show that crossing the border is dangerous to these individuals as well. In 2021, there were at least 605 deaths among immigrants. Numerous incidents detail small children being found without any adult supervision.
In addition, a Texas National Guard soldier drowned while attempting to save two migrants crossing the Rio Grande River. The two migrants were later found to be smuggling drugs.
While the Department of Justice announced it will appeal the judge’s ruling, there is no timeline set for a hearing. This ruling is the second defeat for the Biden Administration regarding issues at the border. Late last year, a federal judge ruled that the White House must reinstate President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
