US Supreme Court stays 'Title 42' which blocks Mexican migrants from entering the country

The United States on Monday halted the scrapping of a key policy that has been in place since the last days of the Donald Trump administration and blocked the entry of migrants at the country's southwest border.

Chief Justice John Roberts placed an emergency stay on Title 42 amid concerns that its removal will cause an influx of undocumented migrants.

Watch |Scuffle between police and migrants near US-Mexico border, camps inhabited over by 600 Venezuelans

The decision comes after a Washington appeals court last week ruled that there was no longer any justification for Title 42.

However, a last-minute petition by 20 mostly Republican states including Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia argued that ending the policy would create a gush of migrants mostly from Mexico and Latin Americas.

Citing a prediction by the Department of Homeland Security they said that the number of those seeking asylum could triple to 18,000 every day. The states have asked the court to take on the full case over the law.

The stay will remain in place as a Republican challenge moves forward, and "individuals who attempt to enter the United States unlawfully will continue to be expelled to Mexico."

Conservative lawmakers commended the stay and some even urged that Title 42 be turned into a codified law. The parties have been given 24 hours to respond. This means that Title 42 may end this week as planned or it may remain in place as the Supreme Court reviews the case more broadly.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.