Migrant Crisis Update: Border Officials Detain Record Number of Illegal Crossers

• Border officials detain a record number of illegal migrants at US-Mexico border
• The situation comes as the Trump-era Title 42 policy ends
• The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has detained roughly 28,000 migrants in recent days

Border officials in charge of the United States-Mexico border have detained a record number of illegal migrants following the end of the Trump-era Title 42 policy.

Illegal crossers gathered on both sides of the border on Thursday, a few hours before the end of the Title 42 policy. Some migrants have rushed to cross the tough new asylum regulations that will replace the pandemic-era requirement.

Migrant Crisis Update

The Border Patrol's union and two federal officials who discussed the situation while requesting anonymity said that the number of detained migrants is far beyond the stated capacity. In a statement, union President Brandon Judd said that the busiest border detention facilities are located in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso in Texas and two areas in Arizona, as per Reuters.

Just this week, border officials reported catching 10,000 illegal crosses every day. The sheer number of arrivals has forced agents to release some migrants without notice to appear in immigration court, where they are supposed to claim asylum. They allegedly tell them to report to an immigration officer later, said Judd.

The average number of days that illegal migrants spend inside holding facilities is three days. Hundreds of illegal crossers in Yuma, Arizona, have lined up before dawn at a noticeable gap in the high border fence while waiting for their turn to talk with US agents.

There were some migrants, such as 40-year-old Jovanna Gomez from Colombia, who tried their luck in crossing now after they heard about the change in US policy. She said that back in her home country, they heard that immigrants would only be allowed until May 11, which caused them to race to cross the border.

A Surge of Illegal Crossers

Homeland Security officials are now estimating that roughly 10,000 migrants per day will try to cross the border after the end of Title 42 illegally. According to NBC News, this has already surpassed in the last week, with officials detaining 11,000 each on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The migrant crisis has forced the hand of some state lawmakers, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who issued a state of emergency. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also ordered temporarily suspending the city's right-to-shelter law.

The lifting of Title 42 has affected the border and nearby regions and areas more than 1,000 miles away. Many lawmakers from both sides of the government have argued that United States President Joe Biden has mismanaged the situation.

The Trump-era policy, during its time, gave authorities the power to turn away migrants who illegally traveled to the US. They were transported back over the border and denied their right to seek asylum, said the Associated Press.