ATLANTA -- Under new guidance from U.S. Health Authorities, unaccompanied child migrants who are trying to enter the United States won't be denied an opportunity to seek asylum.
In announcing Friday's change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that "expulsion of unaccompanied children is insufficient to protect the public's health."
This change was made shortly before a court order that would have allowed the Biden administration expel unaccompanied children who sought asylum under Title 42 authority. Title 42 was established in March 2020 to stop Covid-19 spreading. For adults and their families travelling with children, the order is still in effect.
The CDC stated that testing and other preventive measures enable children to travel alone in the United States to be released to sponsors. Sponsors are usually close family members.
In a Texas lawsuit, a federal judge ruled that the CDC had failed to adequately explain why children who traveled alone were exempted under Title 42. The administration was given a week to appeal. The CDC instead lifted the order, but only for unaccompanied children.
The Associated Press left a message on the phone for Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, and sent an email. The Associated Press did not receive an immediate response.
Title 42, which is named after a 1944 law on public health, has seen more than 1.6 million migrants expelled. Biden kept the order in effect, but exempted unaccompanied kids during his first days as president.
Advocate groups and prominent Democrats have been pushing to end Title 42 for all immigrants. Sen. Dick Durbin (an Illinois Democrat) tweeted that "It's not a humane and effective solution to securing the border."
Democratic Senators. Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla, Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer all stated that it was wrong for them to send families with minor children to torture and persecution.
