GENDERED EFFECTS OF U.S. PANDEMIC BORDER POLICY ON MIGRANTS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA

The journeys of women and girl migrants traveling over land to the United States are made more precarious because of their gender. They are more vulnerable than men and boys to many risks, among them sexual violence, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking. At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States in March 2020, public health authorities invoked an obscure statute to virtually halt asylum processing at its southern border, a policy known as “Title 42.” Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers have been expelled under this policy and now face longer journeys and new challenges. Title 42 purports to address a global public health issue but exacerbates another: violence against migrant women and girls from the Global South, primarily Central America. It is an example of how public health policy can reinforce preexisting advantage and disadvantage, compounding negative consequences for subordinated groups.