End Using Title 42 as Border Immigration Policy

Contact your members of Congress requesting their support for our administration’s plan to end the use of Title 42 at the border on May 23. You can find more background information on this issue in the MWEG Library.

Option 1: Call Your Legislators

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Call the Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121.
2. Ask them to transfer you to your senator’s or representative's office. 
3. If you're unsure who your members of Congress are, just let them know you want to speak to the senator that represents your state.
4. Call again to ensure you reach both your senators and your representative.

Suggested Call Script:

"Hello, My name is [NAME], your constituent from [CITY/TOWN]. I welcomed the CDC announcement to end the use of the health policy Title 42 at the border by May 23. I do not support proposed legislation attempting to undermine the CDC and keep Title 42 in place, including the Public Health and Border Security Act of 2022 (Senate bill number 4036 and House resolution 7459).

“I urge you to oppose this bill and any other legislative efforts designed to keep Title 42 in place and block access to asylum. We must stop using the public health policy of Title 42 as immigration policy in order to honor due process, follow the rule of law, and retain public trust. We need immigrants, and legitimate asylum seekers need us. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me as a constituent."

Option 2: Write Your Legislators

Look up your representative’s email address here and your senators’ email addresses here. Then follow this step-by-step guide:

1. Start by introducing yourself. Note if you have experience relevant to the topic you’re addressing, but realize you don’t have to be an expert to have a valid and important opinion! For example: 
   "I've been a registered Republican most of my life, and I . . .”
   “I am an independent voter who is deeply concerned about . . .”
   “As a child of immigrants/an immigrant myself, I . . .”
   
   
2. State your opinion. For example:

• I have been concerned about the way the public health rule Title 42 has been misused at the border to respond to asylum seekers.
• I believe every human being has a right to seek protection from violence and persecution.
• As a Christian, I want our border policies to reflect this Biblical command: “[I]f a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not [oppress] him. [T]hou shalt love him as thyself” (Leviticus 19:33-34).
• Experience has shown me that legal asylum seekers have much to contribute to our economy and communities, especially as we recover from the effects of the pandemic.
• Continuing to use the Title 42 health policy to process asylum seekers fails to grant due process and does not respect the rule of international and national laws.
• I am concerned to see some of our legislators in both parties using the border situation to score political points rather than work toward long-overdue legal, ethical, common-sense legislation to address that situation.
  
  

3. Share relevant information, fact-checked from reliable sources. Some examples:

• The use of Title 42 was not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• Many public health officials and experts agree that the use of Title 42 is much less about public health than an attempt to unjustly expel refugees and asylum seekers.
• As the UNHCR noted in November 2020, “Measures restricting access to asylum must not be allowed to become entrenched under the guise of public health. . . . . [I]t is possible for a country both to protect the public health of its people and to ensure access to territory for people forced by violence and war to flee their homes.” 
• International laws regarding refugees forbid a country from returning an asylum seeker to a country where his or her life or freedom is threatened. 
• Since we began using Title 42 in this way, people seeking asylum have been turned away 1.7 million times at the U.S.-Mexico border. 
• When due process is ignored, policies are applied inconsistently. Haitians fleeing violence and corruption were sent back without consideration. However, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorized a specific exception to Title 42 for Ukrainian asylum seekers. 
  
  

4. State what you would like to see happen. Some examples:

• I hope you will support the end of the use of Title 42 at the border, and join your fellow legislators in bipartisan efforts to create legislation that provides common-sense, secure, and compassionate solutions to immigration issues at the border.
• I hope that you will represent the large majority of Americans of all parties who want to see our legislators working together on immigration reforms.

• I urge you to oppose any bills (such as SB 4036 and HR 7459) or other legislative efforts designed to keep Title 42 in place and block access to asylum.