Critics denounce extended U.S. refugee ban over COVID-19 concerns as "wrong and shameful": report

Tourists are seen near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Critics have accused the U.S. government of illegally using public health concerns as a cover to stem immigration amid a surge in border crossings since Biden took office.

DOHA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- A group of U.S. human rights organizations and experts denounced President Joe Biden's latest decision to extend an order that expels asylum seekers under COVID-19 precautions, slamming it as "wrong and shameful," according to a recent Al Jazeera report.

The Biden administration announced Monday the extension of a refugee ban, which allows officials to expel most asylum seekers crossing the southern border with Mexico under COVID-19 precautions.

The order, which invokes the public health provision of the United States Code Title 42, was launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under former President Donald Trump in March 2020, said the report.

People participate in a protest calling for immigration rights to be protected by the U.S. in Tijuana, Mexico, Oct. 21, 2020. (Photo by Joebeth Terriquez/Xinhua)

Immigration and rights groups slammed the extension, saying it contradicts Biden's promise to endorse human rights-leading domestic and foreign policies.

"This is wrong and shameful," Cristina Jimenez, founder of the United We Dream immigrants' rights organization, wrote on Twitter.

Critics have accused the U.S. government of illegally using public health concerns as a cover to stem immigration amid a surge in border crossings since Biden took office.

Meanwhile, many public health experts questioned Title 42, saying no scientific data can support that the order is necessary to help curb the spread of COVID-19.