what is title 42

Title 42 is a section of the United States Code that addresses public health, social welfare, and civil rights. It was a rarely-used clause of the 1944 Public Health Services Law until the Trump administration began using it in 2020 to prevent migrants from entering the United States. Title 42 grants the government the ability to take emergency action to stop the “introduction of communicable diseases” . During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration used this provision to generally block land entry for many migrants. This practice was continued by the Biden administration with expansion. The program allows the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prohibit the entry of persons who potentially pose a health risk by being subject to previously-announced travel restrictions or by unlawfully entering the country to bypass health-screening measures. The end of Title 42’s use has raised questions about what will happen with migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.