United States | Disorder on the border

Title 42 might be nixed

What the end of an obscure public-health order will mean for America’s border

CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - DECEMBER 18: Immigrants seeking asylum turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents after wading across the Rio Grande to El Paso, Texas on December 18, 2022 from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The city of 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. U.S. border authorities predict an even larger influx of migrants with the court-ordered end of Title 42 on December 21. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** — Last to make it homeImage: Getty Images

Dec 20th 2022|Dallas

AS A BABY, Jesus was a migrant, forced to flee the threat of violence and seek refuge in Egypt. So it is perhaps fitting that in the run-up to the day celebrating Jesus’s birth America is confronted by problems about how to manage an influx of migrants arriving at its southern border. A border policy called “Title 42”, which was due to expire on December 21st, was granted a temporary administrative stay by the Supreme Court. Depending on what the court decides, the controversial policy could be wound down in a matter of days.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Disorder on the border”