More than 4 million people are trying to leave Ukraine and are being welcomed into other countries. Meanwhile in another part of the world, people from South America and the Middle East are hoping to find refuge in other countries for safety. At the United States southern border, people are being turned away, unable to immigrate into the United States. The ability for border guards to turn away immigrants is because of an order put in place called Title 42, a COVID-19 order that allows government officials to stop people from migrating into the U.S. from other countries in the name of public health. The Biden administration would like to remove Title 42 in late May, but a federal judge in Louisiana has temporarily halted the plan.

Title 42 should be struck down and not supported because of its bias against minority migrants.  

It was thought that Title 42 would create public health safety against COVID-19 because there is a possibility that carriers could come into the United States. This is simply not true and has been disputed by health experts and even recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But even though this order is being eliminated by President Biden, Title 42 is even still trying to be upheld in Texas.

On April 1 President Biden announced that he plans to take down title 42. There’s been backlash against the strike down of this title in the name of public health but it’s really just a ploy against people of color immigrating into the United States.  

Looking at the Ukrainian refugee crisis and the subsequent public outcry for its refugees, you must look at the protracted refugee crisis in Afghanistan and how people do not support those refugees. Nearly 6 million people have been displaced in the past 40 years, creating one of the largest refugee crises in the history of the United Nations Refugee Agency, yet it is so scarcely talked about in the United States.

Finally, Title 42 doesn’t help public health in any way. The CDC and health experts outside of the CDC say that immigrants to the United States do not pose a health threat, so the removal of the order will not harm the nation but help it. The CDC states there is no need for Title 42 because of vaccination and testing rates. 

In order to help people in search of asylum, it is imperative that President Biden proceed in his actions to remove Title 42.

Further helping refugees on your own could be participating in clubs that partner with refugee programs, which allow you to get involved once the refugees have immigrated. You can also work against orders like Title 42 by reaching out to public officials and speaking out.