The recent decision by the Biden administration to end the Covid-19 state of emergency on May 11 could pave the way for an end to the Title 42 “public health” deportation of migrants at the southern border. That’s because this step could end up eliminating litigation over previous efforts to end the policy.
In December, the Supreme Court decided to hear a case challenging the Biden administration’s decision to end Title 42 deportations. The Title 42 deportation policy was started by the Trump administration in March 2020, ostensibly to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the United States, although in fact more as a tool to limit immigration in general. It then continued under Biden, despite overwhelming evidence that it did little or nothing to control the spread of the disease. About 2 million people have been summarily deported under the policy, including many who would otherwise have had the right to remain in the US to apply for asylum. The expulsions caused great suffering, exposing many of the expelled to violence, blackmail or persecution.
When the Biden administration finally tried to end the deportations in May of last year, a group of “red” states filed a lawsuit claiming it failed to comply with requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). A federal district court issued an injunction blocking the termination of the policy. Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit filed by opponents of Title 42 expulsions secured a ruling alleging that under the APA it is illegal continue them. For technical reasons, the latter decision would prevail over the former and put an end to the policy until the end of December. But on Dec. 27, the Supreme Court put the anti-deportation decision on hold when it decided to hear the case — not to consider the merits, but to review a lower court’s denial of an intervention request filed by several red states. This had the indirect effect of reinstating an earlier district court ruling blocking a Title 42 stay of removal.
Because then, however, President Biden announced that on May 11 he would end the national emergency due to Covid-19. The statutory power to expel under Title 42 does not depend on the declaration of a state of emergency. Both the Trump and Biden administrations claim they are authorized by a provision of the Public Health Act of 1944 that (as later amended) gives the Centers for Disease Control the power to ban migrants to prevent the “introduction” of diseases into the United States. However, the CDC’s current expulsion order says it will end after the end of the Covid emergency.
If the emergency does indeed end, then the Title 42 deportation order will also end “naturally.” This would eliminate arguments that the Administration did not use the APA’s notice and comment procedures that might be required in situations where regulatory policy is changing. If Title 42 deportations end up as originally planned (after the end of the state of emergency due to Covid), it would not be a change in policy at all and there would be no need for any special procedures!
If the Title 42 deportations go ahead as planned, it could also eliminate litigation challenging their legality, and thus a Supreme Court case considering whether red states should be allowed to intervene. You can’t intervene in a case that’s over anyway. Or, at least, that’s what the Administration claims in its recently filed Supreme Court brief in that case:
Absent other relevant eventsend of the public emergency medical assistance (aamong other consequences) terundermined title 42 orders i this case is disputed. The Government has also recently announced her intention adopt new Title 8 policies to address the situation in borafter the title 42 orders finish…..
According to its provisions, operative chapter 42 orders the termsnates on “HHS Secretary’s Term Expiration” statement that it is COVID–19 is public health emergency.” 86 Fed. Reg. at 42,830…
The foreseen end emer for public healthgence on May 11, and resulting expiration date from Operative order from Title 42, would render this case moot: Be because the title 42 order would have “ ‘expired by itself terms,‘ ” this lawsuit seeking only prospective damages would “non more present[] And ‘live case or polemics.’ ” Trump c. International aid to refugees138 S. Ct. 353, 353 (2017)…. In that eventthe government want ask the appellate court to vacate judgment of the district court and custody with instructions to discard private of the respondents a suit as debatable.… And because consideration of the underlying case would ifo futile attempt to intervene by the petitioner, that would likewise be proper for this court to resolve the inintervention dispute by withdrawing the appellate court’ order refusal of intervention and retention with instructiontions to dismiss petitioner’s claim as moot.
The administration is adopting a similar strategy in a case where a district court ruled against efforts to end deportations.
If the contention argument prevails, the Administration will end Title 42 deportations, as it has long promised to do, while at the same time getting rid of lower court decisions that have limited its authority. They would likely eventually be vacated (with the exception of a March 2022 DC Circuit ruling that placed some restrictions on deportation and an earlier ruling barring the deportation of unaccompanied minors).
Cases could eventually be resolved that way. But it’s not a done deal yet. The cases will not become litigated until May 11. It would be unusual for the Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit (which resolves a decision against an effort to stay deportation) to complete all of their deliberations so quickly. But they could potentially do it. Courts may also find technical reasons to conclude that one or both of these cases remain in controversy, despite the end of the national emergency. I’ll leave that question to people with more expertise on the mootness doctrine.
In addition, the Administration could potentially decide to extend the state of emergency due to Covid again if the situation with the virus worsens or if the White House decides that an extension is politically convenient. For a long time, Biden played a kind of double game with the Title 42 expulsions, simultaneously claiming he wants to end them but continuing to defend them in court and even expand their use. Like Trump before him, Biden’s use of Title 42 deportations was driven far more by political than scientific reasons. It is possible that the Management will change direction again, if it sees some advantage in this.
Biden’s hypocrisy matches that of red state politicians arguing against ending Title 42 deportations. These state governments oppose almost all other measures to mitigate the pandemic (often with good reason). Yet they also seek to perpetuate the Title 42 public health exclusions indefinitely, even as they argue that the public health emergency should have ended long before Biden plans.
In my view, Title 42 deportations were illegal from the start, once it became clear that Covid-19 was established in the United States, making it impossible to argue that the CDC order somehow blocks its “introduction.” If the statute is interpreted to give the CDC broad authority to block migrants from anywhere there is an infectious disease — regardless of whether it is already present in the U.S. — it would raise serious constitutional problems by giving the executive branch almost complete control over immigration policy.
I would prefer a simple decision that finds the Title 42 policy illegal. But if the litigation strategy puts an end to the evictions by May, that may be better than many more months of ongoing litigation, during which the eviction times could continue.
We’ll soon see what the courts do with the contentious issue — and whether the Biden administration will stick with its current plan to end the national emergency on May 11.