Judge Halts Trump-Era Title 42 Policy
A federal judge on Tuesday halted the Title 42 public health order that allowed border agents to expel migrants without allowing them to seek asylum.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C. said the measure was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
Title 42 was enacted as a public health order in 2020 under the Trump administration, and has continued to be used as an immigration enforcement measure even under Biden. The order has faced several lawsuits and public health officials have questioned its efficacy in containing the virus.
Biden Administration Issues TPS Extensions for Six Countries
The Biden administration announced this week that it would extend Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, designations for six countries until mid-2024. The extensions apply to citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Sudan, and Nepal — all countries whose TPS designations were set to expire at the end of the year.
Under the extensions, eligible TPS recipients will maintain their work authorization and be protected from deportation until June 30, 2024.
According to USCIS data, the extensions will benefit nearly 400,000 immigrants, approximately half of whom are citizens of El Salvador.
U.S. Plans to Deport Cuban Migrants in “Coming Weeks”
The Biden administration will begin deporting Cubans who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border back to Cuba, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The officials said undocumented Cuban migrants will be sent back on planes in the “coming weeks” after the Cuban government last week agreed to accept deportees from the United States. Cuba stopped accepting repatriation flights when Covid-19 disrupted international travel in 2020.
The news comes as a U.S. government delegation met with Cuban officials in Havana last week to discuss the surge in Cuban migrants at the border. The Biden administration said it would restart “full immigrant visa processing” in Havana on Jan. 4.
U.S. Has Zero Immigrant Visa Processing in 67 Countries
According to a new report from the Cato Institute, the U.S. offers no immigrant visa processing in 67 countries. That means applicants in those countries have to travel long distances to attend a consular interview, which can be costly and time-consuming.
Roughly 720 million people live in countries without immigrant visa processing. Over the past decade, the U.S. issued over 400,000 visas to people from these countries, but the report said it would have issued far more if visa services were available.
On average, applicants in these countries have to travel 669 miles to attend an interview.