Washington, DC – This afternoon, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily block the end of the Title 42 border policy, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) President Wendy Young issued the following statement:
“Title 42 never had a legitimate basis in public health, as prominent public health experts have stated. It’s rooted in politics not science, and today’s decision temporarily blocks the Biden Administration from turning the page on this senseless policy. It also forces countless families seeking safety in the United States to continue to live in danger and fear, putting lives at more risk, including young children. In addition, while the Administration has exempted unaccompanied children from Title 42, these children are still unable to present themselves for protection at ports of entry, denying them critical access to safety. It is long past time to allow full access to U.S. protection for the most vulnerable at the U.S.-Mexico border. Expelling protection-seeking families and children to dangerous conditions is a shameful practice and this decision is deeply disturbing.”
The Trump Administration instituted Title 42 by invoking the COVID-19 pandemic, a policy decision that has remained in place. Independent public health experts have long made clear that the policy has never been guided by a legitimate public health rationale. KIND has worked with a number of children who have been rendered unaccompanied by Title 42. In some cases, their parents disappeared while waiting in danger in Mexico, and in other cases children felt that the only way they could survive was by seeking protection at the border alone. The organization cautions that today’s decision will prolong these horrific conditions and result in more separated children. KIND urges the Biden Administration to continue its work to dismantle this disastrous policy.
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990