Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on people seeking asylum in place for now, dashing hopes of migrants who have been fleeing violence and inequality. The court also set a February timeline for arguments in the case.
The restrictions, often referred to as Title 42, were put in place under then-President Donald Trump at the beginning of the pandemic to curb the spread of COVID-19. They have been used 2.5 million times to prevent migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. Conservative-leaning states argued that lifting the restrictions would lead to a massive increase in migrants, and pushed the court to intervene. Immigration advocates say the U.S. has moral and international obligations to offer asylum to people fleeing persecution.
