Updated Apr 27, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Judge grants temporary restraining order to keep Title 42 in place

The San Ysidro Port of Entry border crossing bridge in Tijuana, Mexico.

A migrant from Haiti near the San Ysidro Port of Entry border crossing bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 22. Photo: Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order to keep the pandemic-era public health policy Title 42 in place, according to court documents.

Driving the news: "This is a huge victory for border security, but the fight continues on," Missouri's Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote on Twitter Monday after a judge had stated his intention to grant the order.

The big picture: Three states — Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana — sued the Biden administration this month for rescinding Title 42, which was first issued in March 2020, using the pandemic as a reason for turning back migrants attempting to enter the U.S. without the chance to seek asylum.

  • The attorneys general argued that revoking the controversial policy would "result in an unprecedented crisis at the United States southern border," Schmitt said in a statement.
  • More than a dozen states, mostly Republican-led, joined the lawsuit, CNN reports.

What they're saying: "I am so proud of the lawyers from our office who just got a Temporary Restraining Order to keep Title 42 in place. We will continue to fight the Biden administration's open border policies," Arizona's attorney general wrote on Twitter.

Editor’s note: This post was corrected to reflect that the order was granted Wednesday, not Monday. A judge had stated on Monday his intention to grant the order.

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