Page 2 - aruba-today-20220331

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 31 March 2022
justified policy that should
never have been enact-
ed and has caused grave
harm to thousands of asy-
lum-seekers over the past
two years," said immigra-
tion attorney Lee Gelernt of
the American Civil Liberties
Union.
While there is no aggregate
rate for migrants, COVID-19
test results from several ma-
jor corridors for illegal bor-
der crossings suggest it is
well below levels that have
triggered concerns among
U.S. officials.
In California, 54 of 2,877 mi-
grants tested positive in the
first two weeks of March,
according to the state De-
partment of Social Servic-
es. That's a rate of just 1.9%,
down from a peak of 28.2%
on Jan. 8.
In Pima County, Arizona,
which includes Tucson, the
seven-day positivity rate
among migrants didn't ex-
ceed 1.3% in early March.
The positivity rate among
5,300 migrants tested last
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to the media about the U.S. southern border, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in Washington. month at the Regional
Associated Press Center for Border Health
near Yuma, Arizona, was
Continued from Front and officials were expect- CDC officials, and Dr. Mar- ly and Kyrsten Sinema, both 0.1%.
Whenever the limits are ed to announce as early tin Cetron of the Division of Arizona Democrats, sided McAllen, Texas, the larg-
lifted, his communications as Friday that it would be Migration and Quarantine with Republican leaders to est city in the busiest cor-
director said "there will be terminated, giving border refused the order to begin say Title 42 should remain ridor for illegal crossings,
an influx of people to the authorities a few months its use. He said there was no until U.S. border authorities has a higher rate among
border. We are doing a to prepare for the coming public health basis for such were prepared for sharp in- migrants — 11.3% for the
lot of work to plan for that deadline. a drastic move, the AP re- creases in new arrivals. week ending March 16 —
contingency." Speaking The people familiar with ported. But then-Vice Presi- "The Border Patrol agents but it has been consistent-
broadly, Kate Bedingfield the plans saw a draft report dent Mike Pence ordered told me they expect a tsu- ly lower than the general
said the administration is that has not been finalized the CDC's director to use nami of humans to come population.
trying to "build up our mi- and they spoke to The As- the agency's emergency across the border and the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle
gration system and ensure sociated Press on condition powers and it went into ef- Border Patrol has said they Walensky noted falling
that we are restoring order of anonymity to discuss the fect. will lose control entirely," rates when she ended
at the border." plans. As mask mandates were said Sen. John Cornyn, asylum limits on unaccom-
The Centers for Disease The limits went into place lifted, vaccination rates R-Texas. Homeland Secu- panied child migrants on
Control and Prevention in March 2020 under the climbed and COVID-19 rity officials said they are March 11, while keeping
had extended its asylum- Trump administration as rates dropped among mi- planning for as many as them for adults and fami-
blocking powers for two coronavirus cases soared. grants crossing from Mexi- 18,000 arrivals daily, an as- lies with kids. In August, U.S.
months in late January, While officials said at the co it became increasingly tounding number that they border authorities began
near the height of the omi- time that it was a way to difficult to defend the order cautioned was simply to testing children traveling
cron variant. The authority keep COVID-19 out of the on scientific grounds. prepare for all possible out- alone in their busiest areas:
is up for renewal this week, United States, there always Biden, who has rolled back comes, not projections. Positives fell to 6% in the first
ARUBA restrictions were used as restrictive policies, has tak- major changes to how mi- of nearly 20% in early Feb-
has been criticism that the some of Trump's other more But there have been no week of March from a high

an excuse to seal the bor-
en increasing criticism for grants are processed at the ruary. Asylum limits have
CLEAN der to migrants unwanted keeping the policy. U.S.-Mexico border and no been applied unevenly
by then-President Donald Homeland Security officials, increase in holding facilities by nationality, depending
Trump. Senate Majority Leader for them. The immigration largely on costs and diplo-
It was perhaps the broadest Chuck Schumer of New court backlog continues to matic relations with home
of Trump's actions to restrict York and other top Demo- soar to more than 1.7 mil- countries. Many migrants
crossings and crack down crats were increasingly vo- lion cases. have been spared from
on migrants. The health or- cal about wanting to end Critics say Title 42 has been Cuba, Venezuela, Nicara-
der has caused migrants to so-called Title 42 authority, an excuse to avoid asylum gua and, more recently,
be expelled from the Unit- named for a 1944 public obligations under U.S. law Ukraine. Homeland Secu-
ed States more than 1.7 mil- health law to prevent com- and international treaty, rity officials wrote border
lion times since March 2020 municable disease. buying Biden time to cre- authorities this month that
without a chance for them Not all Democratic elected ate the "humane" asylum Ukrainians may be exempt,
IS MORE to request asylum. officials agreed, includ- system that he promised saying Russia's invasion
DUSHI And restrictions took ef- ing some from border and during his 2020 campaign. "created a humanitarian
fect over the objections of swing states. Sens. Mark Kel-
"Title 42 is a horrific and un-
crisis."q