A record number of migrants were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border recently in a single day, raising fears of what could happen when a controversial immigration policy ends in a matter of hours.
The rule, known as Title 42, was first enacted in 2020 and made it easier for the United States to deport migrants back to Mexico, using the coronavirus pandemic as justification.
But its deadline at 23:59 ET on Thursday (03:59 GMT on Friday) has triggered a rush to reach the border, and cities on both sides are preparing to ramp up crossing efforts. .
President Joe Biden acknowledged earlier this week that despite the best efforts of authorities, the border will remain “chaotic for a while.”
The potential impact is already evident in the Texas city of El Paso, which is seeing an increase in arrivals ahead of the rule change.
The displaced – many of them confused about the impending change – are sleeping rough in makeshift camps on city streets. Several thousand people camped around a church in the city center earlier this week.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” Mayor Oscar Leiser said Wednesday at a border security expo not far from the campsite. “Something has to change. As a community, we can’t do this forever.”
He warned that from El Paso alone, an estimated 10,000 immigrants “are lined up at the border, waiting to come in.”
Joe Sanchez, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, compared the situation to a stampede at a football game – only many times bigger.
“Imagine there are 60,000 people in one place, and suddenly an alert comes in and says there’s a bomb in the building. What happens next? The chaos… it’s very difficult to control,” he told JEE News. And it’s very difficult to control,” he told JEE News.
“That’s exactly what happens on the border.”
For these immigrants — and those already in the U.S. — the future is uncertain.
In an effort to stem the flow, the Biden administration on Wednesday introduced tough new rules for asylum seekers, including barring those who cross illegally from applying for asylum for five years.
US officials have also announced new changes aimed at encouraging immigrants to seek legal recourse in the country, as well as tougher penalties and immediate deportation for those who don’t.
Additionally, approximately 24,000 law enforcement officers are deployed along the 2,000-mile (3,218 km) border, along with thousands of National Guard troops and active-duty military personnel to assist Customs and Border Protection (CBP). have been sent.
The new measures come at a difficult time for CBP. In the El Paso sector alone, officers have seen a sharp increase in crossing attempts over the past six months and are detaining hundreds each day.
Officials in the city have been left to contend with unprocessed immigrants crossing illegally, and those who have been released from detention to await a court date with an immigration judge. Some migrants in El Paso told JEE News they would have to wait years before appearing in court.
And just days before Title 42 expires, officials here have launched an enforcement operation asking immigrants to head to the nearest processing facility.
Those found to have legitimate asylum claims were given dates to appear before an immigration judge, while others were detained for eventual removal. One woman told JEE News she had a court date in 2025 in Miami, Florida.
Immigrants in the area also said some fled for fear of deportation, while others reluctantly presented themselves to CBP officers in the hope they would be allowed to stay.
“It was crazy. They came to tell us early in the morning, when it was still dark,” said Luis Angel, a 29-year-old Cuban awaiting his court date in El Paso. “Some of my friends are still in custody.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Meyerkas said much of the problem stemmed from smugglers who were “working hard to spread false information that the border would remain open” after May 11.
“It won’t happen. They are lying,” he added. “Once again, we urge immigrants not to believe traffickers who are lying to them just to make a profit. We are creating legal pathways for you to come to America.”
Among the steps being taken are the opening of regional processing centers aimed at helping immigrants apply to come to the U.S., as well as expanding access to CBP One, an app used by immigrant asylum seekers. Can be used to schedule appointments.
