The Centers for Disease Control says it's ending a policy that limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The use of public health powers has been widely criticized by Democrats and immigration advocates as an excuse for the United States to shirk its obligations to provide haven to people fleeing persecution.
The policy will end on paper April 1, but it will not take effect until May 23, to allow border officials time to prepare.
The decision is expected to draw more migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border.
But the policy was increasingly hard to justify scientifically as restrictions ended across the U.S.