Padilla, Menendez, Schumer, and Booker Joint Statement on Recent Court Decisions on Title 42
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) issued the following joint statement in response to recent court decisions on the implementation of the Title 42 policy:
“We support yesterday’s D.C. Circuit ruling that the Department of Homeland Security can no longer use Title 42 to expel families to countries where they are likely to suffer persecution or torture. The continued use of Title 42 has created life-threatening conditions for vulnerable migrants, enriched human smugglers, and significantly increased the number of dangerous border crossings. We all watched in horror as thousands of Haitian families, including infants, were returned to Haiti without the opportunity to seek asylum in Del Rio, Texas, and remain concerned as thousands of Haitians have been expelled from the United States in the months since. Turning away families seeking protection from torture or persecution is not who we are. Appealing this decision to the Supreme Court would risk exposing even more families to unnecessary harm.
“We urge the Biden Administration to fulfill its early promise to restore access to asylum and end the usage of Title 42 once and for all. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should review their current order given the progress our nation has made in its pandemic recovery. This matter is even more urgent now that the Northern District Court of Texas has made the unconscionable decision to order the Biden Administration to resume the inhumane practice of expelling unaccompanied children. As we emerge from this pandemic, it is time for the Administration to reinstate humanitarian protections at our borders.”
###