White House says US system is broken, long overdue to fix

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White House says US system is broken, long overdue to fix

In this Nov. 10, 2019 photo, migrants gather at the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico to hear names called from a waiting list to claim asylum in the US. Elliot Spagat AP WASHINGTON - The White House said Monday that the US immigration system is broken and has been long overdue to be fixed. In a daily briefing, Jen Psaki said there needed to be more done to invest in smarter security, to have a more effective asylum processing system. We would welcome any efforts to work with elected officials on that. After the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the White House asked questions about Title 42, an asylum-limiting policy introduced by the US government.

The Biden administration had announced an intention to lift the policy but a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order on Monday, blocking it from being rescinded.

Psaki told reporters that Title 42 is not an immigration policy but a health authority determined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We're going to have a discussion with members of Congress. She noted that we are continuing to prepare to implement the lifting of Title 42, a decision made by the CDC.

The CDC previously said that Title 42 will be terminated on May 23.

After considering current public health conditions and an increased availability of tools to fight COVID - 19, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky decided that an order suspending the right to introduce migrants into the United States is no longer necessary, according to a statement.

Title 42, a 1940 public health law, has allowed US border officials to quickly expel migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum.

Title 42 was enacted by the previous US administration about 1.7 million times, according to the current federal authorities.

Crossings at the southwest border of the United States have gone up this year, with homeland security officials bracing for even higher numbers with the rescission of Title 42.

READ MORE: US asylum deals with Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala halted.

Psaki also discussed inflation, the Ukraine situation, gun violence in the United States, and Elon Musk's buyout of Twitter, among other things.