The US Supreme Court upholds a health measure blocking migrants at the border

The Supreme Court of the United States announced on Tuesday to maintain in place a measure taken during the Covid-19 pandemic allowing the deportation of migrants at the border.

The lifting of this policy, dubbed “Title 42”, was contested by 19 American states, which feared an influx of migrants at the border with Mexico.

"Inhuman"

In March 2020, the government of former President Donald Trump activated this health system to be able to expel without delay migrants without residence permits arrested at land borders.

This measure is immediate, does not allow legal recourse and does not provide for automatic return to the country of origin.

Rare exceptions are provided for, for certain nationalities such as Ukrainians since the invasion of their country by Russia, or for unaccompanied minors.

Human rights activists and experts consider it a violation of international law.

In particular, they consider it

to prevent a potential asylum seeker from formulating his request in this sense.

For them, the current system only encourages migrants to cross the border illegally and to take ever increasing risks to get there by crossing hostile deserts or rivers conducive to drowning.