Chairs Thompson, Barragán Statement on the CDC Announcing the Termination of Title 42
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, & Operations, released the following statement on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing it is ending Title 42 on May 23:
"With almost all pandemic restrictions ending or winding down, we welcome the CDC’s decision to finally end Title 42 expulsions at the border next month. This harmful and inhumane policy was never based on sound science or public health need but was an all-too-convenient tool for the extreme members of the previous Administration to close the border.
“As the country begins to return to normal, part of that transition must include immigration processing at the borders. Our country must continue to be a place for those fleeing violence and persecution to be able to seek protection and legal asylum.
“From the earliest days of this pandemic, the Trump Administration sought to exploit it to advance his anti-immigrant agenda and used Title 42 to single out migrants as a health risk. It is not lost on us that folks who seized on the Trump Administration’s Title 42 restrictions to stoke fear about migrants bringing COVID into communities were among the first to lift indoor mask mandates and other restrictions.
“Our government has the tools to safely process and screen people at the border, as required by law, in order to determine whether they qualify for asylum or other humanitarian protections. With the proper planning, this is an opportunity for the Biden Administration to uphold its promise of creating a just immigration system and lead by our nation’s longstanding values and priorities.”
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