The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily extended a controversial immigration policy known as Title 42 that restricts asylum claims in the US.

Title 42 was put in place under former President Donald Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling immigration authorities to expel migrants at the US’s southern border who were seeking asylum. The order was set to be lifted Wednesday, and in recent weeks, there has been an alarming surge in the number of migrants seeking asylum in the US, sometimes up to 1,500 people a day, according to CNN and other news outlets familiar with the situation.

An order filed Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts states that a lower court’s order to terminate the policy be stayed for now pending future deliberations by the top court. The decision came after a series of conservative states filed with the court for an emergency stay, saying the federal government is ill-prepared to handle the potential influx of asylum seekers, which would cause an undue burden on states.

Immigration – long a hot-button issue between both major political parties – has become even more contentious with the looming expiration of Title 42. Mayors from southern states have made numerous media appearances of late, stating that both resources and shelters in border cities and towns are already stretched to the limit.

President Joe Biden has vowed to repeal his predecessor’s anti-immigrant policies, including the contentious restrictions on asylum claims. Normally, any migrant who presents themselves at a border crossing or to relevant authorities in the US are able to seek asylum up until one year after they cross into the country. Their cases would then be taken through a series of legal processes.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lauded the court’s decision, saying the Republican states “are insisting that the Court leave Title 42 in place.”

“Today's order is a step in that direction. This helps prevent illegal immigration,” he said on Twitter. (Anadolu Agency)

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