Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined a 21-state coalition which filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration to block the federal government from ending Title 42.
Title 42 is a public health order from the Trump administration that allowed border officials to turn away individuals due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The move from Biden has faced bipartisan opposition.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is leading the group, asked the court to prevent the potential influx of migrants.
“What President Biden is doing by rescinding Title 42 is not humane; it is insane,” said Brnovich. “Biden is actively decriminalizing and incentivizing illegal immigration to bring in as many people as possible without any regard for the safety and well-being of Americans.”
Moody concurred, saying the move “would be a disaster and further the chaos at the southwest border that is making it easier for drug cartels and human smugglers to advance their illicit practices in our country.”
Georgia AG Carr added, “In a move as hypocritical as it is dangerous, the Biden administration has declared the public health emergency over for migrants intent on entering our country illegally but not for Americans still forced to wear a mask on airplanes.”
“Revoking Title 42 while in the midst of an unprecedented border crisis poses an immediate threat to our national security, endangers our communities and places immense burden on our law enforcement officers, and today we join a bipartisan group of elected officials who are pushing back.”
Tennessee AG Slatery said, “With the recurring problems at the border you would think the Administration would want as much input from the states as it could get before shutting down a program. But they decided to forego complying with the notice and comment requirements of federal law and shut it down as fast as they could.”
According to the suit, the removal of Title 42 violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) because the administration “did not conduct the statutorily required notice and comment process.”
Experts predict a new wave of migrants will be expected to enter the U.S. due to the relaxed restriction. In 2021, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended a record 1.9 million individuals, in addition to high levels of illegal narcotics.
In addition to Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida, the attorneys general of Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming joined the case.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
