U.S. Supreme Court rules to keep Title 42, the pandemic-era policy to quickly turn away migrants, for now

Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety officers position themselves on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso on Dec. 20. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled to keep in place Title 42 for now. (Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to keep in place the emergency health order the federal government has used for more than two years to quickly turn away migrants, including those seeking asylum, at the southwest border.

The latest ruling replaces an order issued by Chief Justice John G. Roberts last week that halted the lifting of the health policy, known as Title 42, which the Biden administration had planned to wind down. Title 42 will remain in place for at least two more months. In its Tuesday order, the high court agreed to hear arguments in February on whether an Arizona-led coalition of 19 states, including Texas, can challenge a lower-court ruling that ordered the Biden administration to lift Title 42.