A federal judge in Louisiana on Monday said he would grant a motion to bar the Biden administration from carrying out its planned May 23 termination of an emergency pandemic-related border restriction that has allowed U.S. immigration officials to quickly expel migrants.
U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who is overseeing the suit brought by 21 Republican-led states, said in a notice that he had agreed to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the termination of the rule known as Title 42.
Summerhays, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, held a hearing on the case on Monday afternoon. The hearing was closed to the press.
“For the reasons stated on the record, the Court announced its intent to grant the motion,” the judge said in a summary of the hearing. “The parties will confer regarding the specific terms to be contained in the Temporary Restraining Order and attempt to reach agreement.”
Since its inception in March 2020, the Title 42 authority has allowed U.S. authorities along the Mexican border to expel migrants over 1.8 million times to Mexico or their home countries without allowing them to seek asylum, which is generally required by U.S. law, government data show.
