TEXAS —  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday announced it is ending a policy at the U.S.-Mexico border to limit asylum in order to curb the spread of COVID-19

The Trump-era policy, known as the Title 42 authority, named for a 1944 public health law to prevent communicable disease, will end on paper April 1, but it will not take effect until May 23, to allow border officials time to prepare.

RELATED: COVID-19 asylum limits at U.S.-Mexico border to end May 23

Unsurprisingly, reaction was swift among Texas politicians and divided along party lines.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement slammed the Biden administration for the move, saying it will further encourage illegal border crossings and drug cartels.

“Ending Title 42 expulsions will signal to cartels and migrants alike that our southern border is now wide open—inciting even more violence, more trafficking, and more lawlessness,” Abbott wrote. “President Biden obviously has no intention to secure the border by faithfully executing Congress’ command to detain and deport illegal immigrants.”

The use of public health powers had 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 went into effect under President Donald Trump in March 2020. Since then, migrants trying to enter the U.S. have been turned away more than 1.7 million times.

Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is among Democrats applauding the end of Title 42. She released a lengthy statement decrying the policy.

“The use of the Trump Era Title policy effectively eliminated access to the legal system in our country. It’s past time to end it,” she wrote.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, echoed Abbott, saying the end of Title 42 will lead to “further human trafficking and misery.”

"President Biden’s open border agenda has led to America's worst border crisis in recorded history. Last month I pressed the State Department for information on whether they were following through with the court ordered relaunch of the Migration Protection Protocols,” he wrote. ”They refused to respond. The president’s plans to suspend Title 42 and his refusal to properly implement MPP is setting the stage for hundreds of thousands more illegal migrants and the continued flow of deadly drugs that will poison our communities, as well as opening the door to further human trafficking and misery."

The ACLU of Texas on Friday issued the following statements:

“We welcome the CDC’s long overdue decision to terminate this order, and look forward to the permanent end to this Trump era policy, which the Biden administration has disturbingly used to harm well over a million people, especially people of color,” said Shaw Drake, Staff Attorney and Policy Counsel for Border and Immigrants’ Rights at the ACLU of Texas. “All people have the right to seek protection in the United States from violence and danger, and everyone deserves for their claims to be heard. Expulsions under Title 42 were never based on public health — they were simply an excuse to deny those facing danger access to protection in this country.”

 “We welcome this development, but a substantial rollback of expulsions can and should begin immediately so that more lives are not shattered in the interim,” said Lee Gelernt, lead litigator in the ACLU’s Title 42 legal challenge. “Using the public health laws as a substitute for immigration policy was never justified and the courts have rightly said so."

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, issued this statement: 

“Bringing Title 42 to an end is the right decision. Over the past month, Americans have committed to welcoming families fleeing from brutality and war in Ukraine. That generosity was a fulfillment of our nation’s promise to be a beacon of freedom to the world, and I commend the Biden administration’s realization that maintaining Title 42 is untenable. Every asylum-seeker deserves to have their case considered in a manner consistent with U.S. and international law.

“During the last administration, Donald Trump and his enablers undermined our legal immigration system and created a crisis at the border by forcing legitimate asylum-seekers to attempt dangerous transnational crossings. Today, we are still trying to repair the damage that Trump inflicted on our country.

“This month, Democrats voted for hundreds of millions of dollars to improve migrant processing. I look forward to seeing additional action from the Biden administration to build a secure immigration system that treats migrants with respect and decency.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.