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In the hours before the US government lifted the so-called Title 42 COVID-19 immigration restrictions on Thursday, migrants gathered on both sides of the US-Mexico border – with some rushing to cross tough new asylum rules that would replace the order.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is currently holding up to 28,000 migrants at the facility, exceeding its designated capacity and what appears to be a record, two federal officials and the Border Patrol union said on condition of anonymity.
The busiest border detention facilities are in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and two areas in Arizona, according to union head Brandon Judd.
This week, the number of people caught crossing illegally exceeded 10,000 per day. Judd said that, because of the number of people arriving, agents released some migrants without notice to appear in immigration court, where they could make an asylum claim, and told them to report to the immigration office later.
On average, people spend almost three days in custody, Judd said. CBP did not respond to a request for comment.
In Yuma, Ariz., hundreds of migrants lined up in the cool pre-dawn hours at a gap in a high border fence, waiting to turn themselves in to US agents.
Some, like 40-year-old Jovanna Gomez from Colombia, heard about the change in US policy and decided to try to cross now.
“In my country, you hear that immigration is only allowed until May 11, so we’re racing against the clock,” he said. “It’s not easy.”
Migrants gather at the Mexican border as the US lifts its COVID-19-era immigration policy, Title 42, which includes restrictions barring migrants from seeking asylum. About the producer Lauren Bird spoke with the Washington Post’s Maria Sacchetti about the expected surge in migrants trying to cross the border and what comes next.
What is Title 42?
Under Title 42, which has been in place since March 2020 and will expire at midnight, hundreds of thousands of migrants have been quickly deported to Mexico.
But because Mexico only accepts the return of certain nationalities – usually its own citizens and Central Americans, and more recently Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans – migrants from other countries have generally been allowed to pursue their immigration claims.
That is set to change as US President Joe Biden’s administration ramps up personnel and funding to the border while implementing new regulations, which will deny asylum to nearly all migrants who cross illegally. The measure would bar anyone who has passed through another country without seeking protection elsewhere or who has failed to use legal channels to enter the United States.
The new regulations will go into effect when Title 42 is lifted, along with the public health emergency of COVID-19 that was declared on Thursday.
Top US officials repeat warnings against illegal crossings. “Our borders are not open,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters at a White House briefing.
Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller reiterated in a statement that Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who crossed the southwest border illegally after the end of Title 42 will continue to be sent back to Mexico, which could receive a total of up to 30,000 of them. . country every month.
The US has opened a legal process for migrants from these countries to enter from abroad, in an effort to prevent people from coming to the border.
“As we have said many times, the border is not open to irregular migration. Individuals should not put their lives in the hands of smugglers, only to face steep consequences,” said Miller.
US border cities have struggled to protect new arrivals and provide transportation to other destinations. Away from the border, other cities say they are also struggling to cope, such as New York where Mayor Eric Adams temporarily loosened rules on shelters due to tight resources.
Political finger-pointing
Florida’s attorney general has gone to federal court to try to block the mass release of migrants to the United States after Title 42 expires.
US Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who left the Democratic Party five months ago, criticized the administration on Thursday, telling reporters that the president has failed to adequately prepare for Title 42. She said that small towns in her state have struggled. to transport migrants who arrive with little access to resources like buses or shelters.
Republicans have blamed Biden, a Democrat up for re-election in 2024, for reversing the restrictive policies of former president Donald Trump, a Republican who is seeking to win back the White House.
And Biden administration officials in recent days have stepped up their attacks on Republicans, saying they have failed to fix immigration laws or provide enough border funding.
“I’m asking Congress for more money for the Border Patrol,” Biden said Wednesday. “He didn’t do it.”
Since Biden took office in January 2021, the country has recorded a record 4.6 million arrests of migrants crossing illegally, although that number includes many who cross. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week showed that only 26 percent approved of Biden’s handling of immigration.
In Texas, Republican governor Greg Abbott, a fierce critic of the president’s border policies, expanded the deployment of the National Guard this week “to help intercept and deport large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally.”
Some organizations welcome migrants. In Yuma, Fernando Quiroz, a 50-year-old member of a volunteer group known as the AZ-CA Humanitarian Coalition, pulls up a wagon filled with bottled water to hand out to migrants awaiting processing at midnight.
“The reason we are here is faith, compassion, empathy for these many people,” Quiroz said. “We just want to be a friendly smile.
“Who knows what happened when he got on the bus?” said. “This is just the first step of a very long journey.”
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