| abstract |
In March 2020, the globe was struck by the rapid spread of COVID-19. In response, world
leaders issued public health recommendations to institute appropriate measures to curb the
transmission of the pandemic. The Trump administration argued that massive flows of migrants
at the US southern border would spread infection to American border agents, migrants, and the
larger public. If left unaddressed, the administration worried that the flow of migrants would
cripple the nation's immigration system, overwhelm the healthcare system, and damage national
security. Thus, President Trump introduced Title 42 with intentions of protecting the health and
well-being of Americans.
This thesis examines the implementation of Title 42 under the Trump administration as well as
its continuation under the Biden administration. The thesis analyzes the extent to which the
policy became a tool for restricting immigration into the US. It shows how an emergency federal
health policy meant to deal with a pandemic was adopted and promoted by different actors in the
federal and state governments to achieve their anti-immigrant restrictive agenda. I argue that
Title 42 was ultimately not about improving public health, but a means to controlling
immigration and excluding vulnerable migrant communities of the non-western world. This
thesis sheds light on how Title 42 has damaged the asylum system and reveals the deeply
intertwined connections between pandemic related health measures and racialized immigrant
control.
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