When the pandemic started in 2020, Donald Trump enacted a policy called Title 42, which closed the border to anyone seeking asylum. During Biden’s presidential campaign he vowed to end this horrible policy, but is now only being forced to because the CDC is no longer enforcing COVID as a global pandemic, meaning Title 42 can no longer be in effect legally. After 3 years of the Southern border being closed, it’s finally ending on Friday, May 12.
While this might seem like great news to some, the new methods of deterrence and removal are outrageous. The bottleneck created by Title 42 was ignored by all levels of government for years, and has now led to an inhumane and reactionary response that prioritizes immediate deportation before people even get a chance to seek asylum. The lack of preparation has also left local shelters and border communities to deal with high numbers of people who have crossed the border and are in urgent need of shelter, food, and clothes.
Meanwhile, the dehumanization of migrants over the last three years has led to racist policies like HB20 (a Texas bill that would fund DPS and deputize vigilantes to arrest and detain anyone they perceive as a migrant throughout the state) to be filed and considered. The vilification of migrants has caused more and more people to engage in violent rhetoric and actions leading to migrants' death on both sides of the border^.
Join us June 1st at 5:30pm to learn more about the situation on the border from our colleagues on the ground.
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