Border Expected to Be ‘Chaotic' as U.S. Ends Covid Policy: Live Updates
As Title 42, which allowed border agents to swiftly remove migrants on public health grounds, lifts at midnight, officials are trying to stem an influx of asylum seekers.
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Homeland Security Secretary declared: "Our border is closed." Here are some things to consider.
The White House, local officials, and border agents are battling thousands of new migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in the final hours before the emergency health rule that has been used since 2020 to send back hundreds of thousands migrants is lifted.
Title 42 was the policy of the Covid era, which allowed the government quickly to expel people who had crossed the border without applying for asylum. Tens of thousands are expected to try to enter the United States as it lifts. This will strain resources and increase political tensions. This week, President Biden said that the situation would be chaotic.
Many migrants are worried that the situation will become more chaotic in the next few days. According to agency data, border officials arrested more than 11,000 illegal immigrants on Tuesday -- almost twice the usual number.
Alejandro N. Mayorkas declared Wednesday that "our border is not opened".
The details are below:
What is Title 42? In March 2020, as Covid-19 spread across the country, the Trump Administration authorized the use of Title 42 to quickly remove illegal immigrants. Since then, border authorities have invoked the rule more than 2.7 millions times (some even multiple times) to expel migrants. Title 42 is no longer applicable with the Biden administration lifting Covid-19 national emergency.
What happens at midnight? After three years of pent up demand that coincided with an increase in global migration, the federal agency expects as many as 13,000 immigrants to cross the border every day. This is up from 6,000 on average busy days. The processing of these migrants will also be slower. Title 42 takes about 10 minutes compared to an hour under the existing laws.
At the border, three Texas cities -- Brownsville Laredo and El Paso - have declared a state emergency due to the influx of migrants who are crossing the border before the order is lifted. Around 35,000 migrants gathered in Ciudad Juarez, another 15,000 in Tijuana, and thousands elsewhere in Mexico.
White House officials have been working for months on preparing for an influx of migrants, and they've sent 1,500 troops along the border. The government is offering a new way for migrants to enter the United States if they meet certain requirements and apply online.
Republicans will use chaos scenes to boost their political attacks against Democrats by accusing them of not securing the border. House Republicans are preparing to file impeachment against Mr. Mayorkas in order to dramatize their accusations.