Washington: US President Donald Trump is reportedly working on a plan to label migrants as a health risk, linking them to diseases like measles and tuberculosis. A report by The Wall Street Journal suggested that Trump’s administration is looking for ways to bring back strict immigration policies using public health concerns.
Officials said that Trump’s team is searching for evidence that could justify their claims that migrants pose a health risk. The aim is to use Title 42, a health emergency law, to block asylum seekers from entering the US through the southern border.
Why is Trump focusing on health risks now?
The state of Kansas is currently dealing with a tuberculosis outbreak, and measles cases have been reported in border states like Texas. However, there is no clear proof that these outbreaks are linked to migrants. Public health officials have also stated that the overall risk of both diseases remains low.
Despite this, Trump’s advisers believe that concerns over public health could help them justify strict border controls. According to the report, the US Health and Human Services Department has already sent Public Health Service officers to the border to assess the situation.
Trump’s past and present immigration plans
Trump has a history of pushing strict immigration policies. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order banning migrants from requesting asylum, arguing that the US southern border was under “invasion.” Now, his team is exploring new strategies in case the courts block his previous orders.
Earlier this week, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other human rights organizations filed a lawsuit to stop Trump’s asylum ban. If the plan to use health risks moves forward, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for health secretary, will have to approve it. Interestingly, Kennedy has previously questioned the safety of measles vaccines and downplayed the severity of the disease, though he recently stated that he supports vaccinations.
The idea of using public health laws to limit immigration is not new. In 2018, Trump’s adviser, Stephen Miller, first suggested using Title 42 to block asylum seekers when flu cases were rising in border detention centers. At the time, White House lawyers rejected the idea. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Trump’s administration used Title 42 to turn away migrants without processing their asylum requests.
When Joe Biden took office, his administration continued the policy for a few years. However, as Mexico started accepting fewer migrants, Title 42 became less effective. A federal appeals court later ruled that the policy does not override laws that protect migrants from being sent back to countries where they could face persecution or torture.
