Arizona politicians react to judge ruling Title 42 asylum restrictions must continue
May 20, 2022, 3:56 PM | Updated: 5:13 pm
Migrants who had crossed the Rio Grande river into the U.S. wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, Friday, May 20, 2022. The Eagle Pass area has become increasingly a popular crossing corridor for migrants, especially those from outside Mexico and Central America, under Title 42 authority, which expels migrants without a chance to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. A judge was expected to rule on a bid by Louisiana and 23 other states to keep Title 42 in effect before the Biden administration was to end it Monday. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
PHOENIX — Arizona politicians on Friday reacted to a judge’s decision to not end Title 42, a pandemic-related border restrictions that prevents migrants from seeking asylum in the United States on grounds of halting the spread of COVID-19.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey commended the ruling of the federal court.
“This is the right decision. The federal court stepped in to protect our nation when the Biden administration failed to do so,” Ducey said in a tweet.
The public health policy — Title 42 — dates back to the 1940s and is used to keep diseases from entering into the United States. Since 2020, nearly 2 million entries into the U.S. have been prevented.
“Today’s ruling is a significant win as Title 42 is one of the few policies that is actually working,” Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who led Arizona’s legal fight against the end of Title 42, said in a press release.
“I’m grateful to the court for upholding the rule of law and helping maintain some level of sanity as we continue to battle the Biden-made border crisis.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said the time is now to coordinate with local leaders and properly equipping Arizona communities with a workable plan.
“The administration should use this delay to coordinate with local leaders and get resources on the ground in Arizona communities to implement a workable plan before ending Title 42. I’ll continue pushing for transparency and holding the administration accountable to keep Arizona communities safe and secure while ensuring migrants are treated fairly and humanely,” Sinema said in a statement.
Arizona Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly in April said it was a “wrong decision” for Title 42 to be lifted without a plan in place.
Driving his point home, he said in a statement Friday, “For too long, Arizonans have paid the price for Washington’s failure to plan ahead and secure the border.
“Today’s decision does not change the fact that there is a crisis at the border and there must be a detailed plan that can be implemented before Title 42 is lifted. Arizonans deserve a secure, orderly, and humane border response and I will continue to hold the administration accountable to that.”
