Many of us thought that the Biden Administration would move quickly to reverse all of the racist anti-immigrant policies put in place by the Trump regime. Sadly, that did not happen. 

One of the worst of these Trump-era policies has been Title 42, the measure used to block 1.7 million people from crossing the border, under the bogus rationale that we needed this blockage to prevent the spread of Covid. The truth? US public health officials unanimously saw no such health reason to implement Title 42. 

Instead of following the advice of these experts, the Biden Administration continued Title 42 last spring, forcing asylum-seekers to go back across the border to languish in the miserable conditions of Mexico’s migrant camps.

The Biden Administration caved here — to the racist anti-immigrant ravings of the Republican Party. Republicans don’t just want to keep immigrants out. In many states, they’re also proposing policies to restrict the rights of minority voters. Latin@s represent the fasted-growing sector of the US electorate, and the Republican Party is doing its damndest to suppress Latin@ votes.

Biden and the Democratic Party need to wake up and smell the frijoles. If Biden fails to come through on his promises to implement a truly humane immigration policy and defend the democratic interests of the 60-million-strong Latin@ people, now overwhelmingly Mexican-American/Chican@, the president risks handing over the US Congress, Senate, and White House to the most racist and neofascist major party ever seen in our country. And that would be spell enormous trouble for Latin@s in the US and for México as well. 

Now finally — al fin — Biden has promised to end the use of Title 42 as of May 23, 2022, after enormous pressure from Latin@ immigrant rights organizations, civil liberties organizations, and Latin@ members of the US Congress. About time! But ending Title 42 ought to be only the first step in changing a very dangerous course.