Last minute news for immigrants, borders and more

A federal judge Thursday evening temporarily blocked one of the key tools of the Biden administration to try to manage the number of immigrants being held by US Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

The ruling came just before Title 42 expires, and administration officials say it will make their job more difficult amid the expected influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border. Call awaits.

Here are the key things to know:

Immigrant release policy: The plan, released on Wednesday, allowed immigrants to be released from CBP custody without court dates or, in some cases, released on parole. As the number of immigrants at the border increases, the Department of Homeland Security said its plan will help relieve enormous pressure on already overcrowded border facilities. As of Wednesday, there were more than 28,000 migrants detained in the Border Guard, which increased the capacity.

Previously, the administration released immigrants without trial dates when they faced a wave of immigrants after authorities screened them. The plan would have allowed the Department of Homeland Security to release immigrants on “parole” on a case-by-case basis and would have required them to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Florida litigation: Florida sued to stop the policy, and US District Judge T. Kent Wetherell agreed to block the plan for two weeks. Wetherell, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the administration’s explanation for why it disclosed its policy on Wednesday, when the end of Title 42 had been expected for several months, was missing. He also said the Biden administration simply wasn’t ready.

How did the administration respond? Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas, speaking to CNN this morning, called the ruling “extremely harmful” and said the administration was considering its options.

Assistant Secretary of Immigration Affairs and Border Policy Blas Núñez Neto said the ruling “will lead to unsafe overcrowding at CBP facilities and undermine our ability to efficiently process and remove migrants, creating the risk of creating dangerous conditions for Border Patrol agents as well as non-citizens in our custody.”

What then? Wetherill’s ruling will result in a two-week ban on politics. A preliminary hearing for an injunction has been scheduled for May 19.