John Roberts blocked removal of border restrictions for migrants

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in response to an appeal by Republican officials from 19 states, temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s repeal of a measure to expedite the removal of migrants detained at the U.S.-Mexico border that was set to expire this week. The measure, known as Section 42, was introduced by the Donald Trump administration.

Earlier, a group of Republicans, led by the attorneys general of Arizona and Louisiana, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to retaliate after a federal appeals court last Friday refused to stay a lower court ruling overturning Section 42, which expires Wednesday.

The Section 42 restrictions are part of the Public Health Service Act, enacted in 1944 and intended to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the country.

The Trump administration used the section in March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, when it implemented a streamlined procedure for expedited removal of migrants apprehended while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.