Title 42 originates from the Public Health Care Act legislated in 1944. Under the Act, US officials were given the authority and established emergency powers to fend off potential foreign health threats by controlling immigration. Under the Trump administration, COVID-19 was just the call for the health statute. The administration used it as a tool to control if not eliminate immigration. It was designed to stop legal and illegal migration into the US as the COVID pandemic raged an onslaught of death. Immigrants were quickly returned to their countries if not separated at the border. Heading the task was former General John Kelly at Homeland Security. He embraced the idea of separating children from their parents under the guise that they could be abused or trafficked children. That whole ordeal was inhumane and irresponsible. At the height of employing Title 42, it was estimated some nine thousand unaccompanied minors and separated children were placed in some kind of childcare organization and lost! To this date, there are approximately 2500 children that have never been reunited with their parents. These children have been lost and forgotten in the system.
In March 2020, the Trump administration invoked the statute, citing the need to stop the spread of COVID-19 across its borders. While this may be partially true the impetus for enacting the law was secondary to establishing immigration control at the border. Immigrants were coming over without being COVID-19 vaccinated and that was risky for American citizens. Yet, millions of Americans refused to be COVID vaccinated or simply wear masks based on the lead of President Trump. Keep in mind he was President and had immediately twenty-five doctors at the snap of his fingers. You, John Doe, had who? Misinformation and distrust of our and them in government and media sources only confused recovery efforts. Many refusing to take the vaccine truly believed the government was going to be tracking them through the injection! The largely held viewpoint was the vaccine and mask requirements impinged on peoples’ rights and freedoms!
When Title 42 was in place, US authorities were able to swiftly remove migrants crossing the border through Mexico – including asylum seekers – using the pandemic as justification. Separation of families was exercised and those that came illegally and were caught faced being classified as felons because they were breaking US immigration law.
So, far the sunset of Title 42 and ensuing chaos has not materialized. There are significantly fewer numbers “rushing the border gates” than had been anticipated. Immigration has now returned to Title 8 which was in operation before the Trump enactmenting Title 42 as a national emergency measure. – The next few days should be telling