The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended Title 42, a pandemic-era health policy that allows immigration authorities to expel some migrants before they can apply for asylum.

Title 42 would have ended on January 21, but Tuesday’s ruling extends an emergency stay granted last week by Chief Justice John Roberts. Several states had appealed to the Supreme Court for an emergency stay, arguing that ending Title 42 would bring on an unmanageable surge of immigrants.

Does this conclude the legal action in this case? Immigration advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union have sued to end the Title 42 policy, arguing that it goes against U.S. and international obligations to people seeking asylum. The case is set to be argued in February, but the emergency stay extending Title 42 will remain in place until the justices rule on that case.

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2022, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.