U.S. Supreme Court extends border restrictions just before they were set to end

A U.S. Border Patrol agent instructs immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas on Dec. 19, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Over the weekend, El Paso declared a state of emergency, one week after a surge of asylum seekers began crossing the border, quickly overwhelming federal immigration and city authorities. (John Moore/Getty Images)

EL PASO, Texas – The pandemic border restrictions known as Title 42 will continue, at least for now, after the U.S. Supreme court has granted an 11th-hour request by a group of Republican attorneys general from 19 states seeking to extend those restrictions.

In an order signed by Justice John Roberts, the court asked for a response from the Biden administration by 5 p.m. eastern time Tuesday.