Judge blocks Biden plan to lift border expulsion policy

LOS ANGELES: A health rule imposed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that has blocked most asylum seekers at the US border with Mexico must stay in place, a judge ruled late on Friday.

Title 42, the colloquial name for an order that can effectively prevent anyone without a visa from entering the United States, even to claim asylum, was due to expire on Monday.

President Joe Biden’s administration said the rule was no longer needed, more than two years after it was imposed by then-president Donald Trump.

But Republican governors of more than 20 states went to court to demand that it remain in place, arguing relaxing it would spur an influx of migrants -- a hot-button political issue in the United States.

On Friday, federal judge Robert Summerhays issued an injunction to that effect.

"The Plaintiff States contend that the Termination Order will result in a surge of border crossings, and that this surge will result in an increase in illegal immigrants residing in the states," Summerhays’ ruling says.

"They also contend that the transition back to immigration enforcement... will result in an increase in immigration ‘parolees’ in the Plaintiff States.

"The court finds that the plaintiff states have satisfied each of the requirements for a preliminary injunction."

The White House said it would abide by the ruling, but would appeal.

"The Administration disagrees with the court’s ruling, and the Department of Justice has announced that it will appeal this decision," a statement said.

"The authority to set public health policy nationally should rest with the Centers for Disease Control, not with a single district court."