WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2022 – The American Bar Association looks forward to the termination of Title 42, a pandemic-era border expulsion policy, that will soon be ended as a result of a federal judge’s ruling this week.
The ABA believes that all people seeking protection from persecution or torture are entitled to a full and fair adjudication comporting with U.S. and international law. Instead, Title 42 has blocked asylum seekers from applying for protection at the border and led to their expulsion from the U.S. without adjudication of their claims. The ABA House of Delegates voted to oppose this policy in February.
This week, a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the policy is arbitrary and capricious, but stayed his ruling until Dec. 21, to allow time to develop transition plans at the border. We welcome the move to resume normal processing of asylum seekers, as required under domestic and international law.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.