TEXAS, USA — (This article was originally published in The Texas Tribune, and can be viewed here.)
A federal judge in Louisiana plans to temporarily block the Biden administration from ending Title 42, a pandemic-era health order used by federal immigration officials to expel migrants, including asylum-seekers, at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The temporary restraining order is expected in a lawsuit brought by Louisiana, Arizona and Missouri after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would let the order expire May 23. The details of such a restraining order were not available late Monday.
“The parties will confer regarding the specific terms to be contained in the Temporary Restraining Order and attempt to reach agreement,” according to minutes from a Monday status conference in the case.
Last week, Texas joined more than 20 other, mostly Republican-led states in a separate lawsuit against the Biden administration. Texas’ lawsuit claims the CDC didn’t follow the proper procedure for dismantling Title 42 and that the state would be forced to pay for social services for the influx of migrants who will enter the country after the order expires.
In response to the Biden administration’s announcement that it would lift Title 42, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers to more thoroughly inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico’s four border states. This caused delays for truckers that lasted anywhere from a few hours to a few days and wreaked havoc on international trade and the food supply chain.