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President Biden promised to bring “human dignity” to the U.S. immigration system. But his administration’s continued use of a Trump-era policy has cast doubt on that stated goal.
Back in March 2020, Trump invoked Title 42, an obscure public health statute from 1944 that allows the president to deny entry into the United States to foreign nationals who might spread a communicable disease. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic gave Trump an excuse to shut down the border and have immigrants caught trying to enter the U.S. without authorization expelled quickly into Mexico. The Biden administration has kept that immigration enforcement tool in place in an effort to stem criticism from political opponents who see a growing crisis at the border.