Title 42 is a clause of the 1944 Public Health Services Law that "allows the government to prevent the introduction of individuals during certain public health emergencies," said Olga Byrne, the immigration director at the International Rescue Committee. It dates back to a 1944 law known as the Public Health Act, which granted US authorities emergency powers to prevent the spread of diseases. In March 2020, the Trump administration invoked the statute, citing the need to stop the spread of Covid-19 across its borders.
The Biden administration has ended Title 42 for families and children but not for single adults. Asylum-seekers say joy over the end of Title 42 turns to anguish induced by new US rules. The Biden administration's asylum rule, limiting asylum claims at the southern border, is facing a number of legal challenges from both the left and right.
