In response to reports that the Biden administration may lift Title 42 on May 23rd, Noah Gottschalk, Oxfam America's Global Policy Lead, said the following:
"While we hope the Biden administration actually follows through on rescinding Title 42 on May 23rd, as reports appear to indicate, experience has unfortunately shown that we cannot take announcements about this administration's immigration policies at face value.
"The fact is that after more than a year in office, this administration's COVID policies remain deeply hypocritical: falsely scapegoating asylum seekers at the border for the spread of the pandemic while simultaneously removing COVID restrictions across the country. This approach continues to show that Title 42 has nothing to do with public health and everything to do with the xenophobia and racism embedded in our immigration system.
"Every day that this policy remains in place is a day that people fleeing persecution are subjected to assault, violence, and death, simply for seeking their legal right to protection. Title 42 must end immediately."