Court prevents the rapid release of migrants who cross the US border irregularly.

Photo: PAUL RATJE/AFP/Getty Images

A court of appeals in the United States denied this Monday the request of the Joe Biden government to maintain in force a rule that allows the rapid release of migrants who are arrested for illegally crossing the southern border and struck down by a Florida judge.

In a court order filed today, the 11th District Court of Appeals, which serves Florida, Georgia and Alabama, ruled against the lawsuit that had been filed by the government, seeking to overturn the lower court's decision.

As part of the measures taken by the US after Title 42 was lifted, a restriction that allowed hot returns at the border, the government issued a memorandum ordering immigration authorities to allow the rapid release of some migrants in the country.

The government justified this measure, which authorized immigration authorities to release migrants arrested without a date to appear in court, alleging that is necessary to avoid “overcrowding” in migrant facilitiesaccording to documents filed with the courts.

However, as the appeals court said today, the number of migrant arrests at the southern border has not increased since Title 42 was lifted, in contrast to the "catastrophic predictions" of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ).

The state of Florida, which filed the initial lawsuit against the measure to release migrants, accuses Biden of using the lack of resources and capacity in detention centers as an excuse to "ignore requests from Congress" that they be maintained. people in detention until their immigration cases are resolved.

At the same time, Florida assured that Biden's immigration policies "encourage" migrants to undertake "the dangerous journey to the United States." and that many of the people who appear at the border with Mexico are "gang members and drug traffickers."

In the second week after Title 42 was lifted, on May 11, the US saw a daily average of 3,100 arrests of people who had crossed the border irregularly, according to DHS information.

These figures do demonstrate a reduction, at least for now, in the number of migrants crossing the southern border of the US irregularly. In April, when Title 42 was still in effect, an average of 4,579 arrests were recorded per day .

Title 42, imposed by the government of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, was maintained by Biden until May 11.

Under this regulation, The US carried out more than 2.5 million expulsions of migrants since it went into effectaccording to data from the International Rescue Committee.

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