NILC Statement on the Biden Administration Terminating Title 42 Expulsions for Unaccompanied Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2022

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Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Statement on the Biden Administration Terminating Title 42 Expulsions for Unaccompanied Children

WASHINGTON — Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced that it will end Title 42 expulsions of unaccompanied children at the border in response to a court ruling:

“While we welcome the Biden administration’s decision to terminate Title 42 expulsions of unaccompanied children, for the millions of voters who rejected the previous administration’s xenophobic policies, it is past due. The administration must now end this cruel Trump-era policy for everyone. For nearly two years, under the guise of public health, this policy has denied people their fundamental right to seek asylum and returned them to dangerous conditions where they face kidnapping, torture, and persecution.

“The truth is undeniable: there never was a public health justification for this racist and xenophobic policy created by Trump and continued by the Biden administration. All people seeking safety and freedom in the United States, whether they are from Ukraine, Haiti, El Salvador, or elsewhere, deserve due process and full access to asylum, including at ports of entry.

“We urge the Biden administration to swiftly bring an end to Title 42 and close this shameful chapter. At a time when we are experiencing record levels of migration across the globe as a result of war, climate disasters, gender-based violence and other push factors, the United States should be leading the way to building a just and humane 21st century immigration system that meets this moment in history.”

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