Border Towns Prepare for End of COVID Migrant Restrictions
Ask students: What is Title 42? When was Title 42 instituted, and when will it end? Why is Title 42 ending now?
Cities on the southern border are preparing for the lifting of Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy that allowed officials to turn away millions of migrants over the last three years. El Paso has declared a state of emergency ahead of that rule change. Shelters are full, leading many to sleep in makeshift encampments on the streets. Amna Nawaz discussed the latest with Mayor Oscar Leeser.
For a transcript of this story, click here.
News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching! You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Five Facts
- What is Title 42?
- When was Title 42 instituted, and when will it end?
- Who is interviewed for this story, and what is his background?
- How is Mayor Leeser preparing for the end of Title 42?
- Why is Title 42 ending now?
Focus Questions
In this segment, Mayor Leeser says that there are over 10,000 people living on the streets in Juarez, across the border from his city of El Paso, waiting to cross over after Title 42 expires. How do you think towns like El Paso can prepare for so many seeking asylum by crossing into their town at once?
News analysis: Who else would you want to hear from to better understand what will happen when Title 42 expires?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?
For More
What students can do: What are asylum policies in the United States, why were they established, and how might they change? First, read this article from Axios on the asylum process in the United States. Then as a class, discuss — what surprised you about current asylum policy? When did these policies begin? How do you think they may change over time, and why?
Student Video of the Day (July 15, 2022)
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
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