Haitian woman crosses the Rio Grande with her 3-year-old son, they crossed the border between Mexico and the United States to request political asylum. (Shutterstock)

By America’s Voice

Washington, DC – A joint statement from leading Senate Democrats calls on the Biden administration to end the use of Title 42. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) to issue the joint statement following opposing federal court rulings last Friday. The Senators urge the administration to officially end the policy, citing last summer’s mistreatment of Haitian families as a particularly concerning example of the misuse of Title 42.

The full statement from Senators Schumer, Menendez, Booker, and Padilla can be found here and is included below:

“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 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.”

  Biden administration, immigration, President Joe Biden, Title 42