Migrant Crisis: 60,000 Migrants Waiting Near US-Mexico Border as Biden Administration Faces New Hurdles

A senior official said an estimated 60,000 migrants were waiting near the US-Mexico border as the Biden administration ended the Title 42 pandemic-era rule that allowed authorities to expel those entering the country illegally.

In the days leading up to the end of Title 42, which was triggered by the expiration of the national COVID-19 public health emergency, border officials have already recorded approximately 10,000 daily apprehensions.

Migrants Wait at US Border

Nearly 25,000 migrants were housed in Border Patrol detention facilities and shelters, despite the agency's official capacity to house only several thousand people. The Border Patrol is attempting to reduce congestion in its detention centers by expeditiously releasing migrants without court appointments.

Despite the present obstacles, Ortiz does not anticipate a "massive surge" in migrant crossings immediately following the expiration of Title 42, as per CBS News. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that the transition away from Title 42 would not be precipitous, noting that only 19% of detained migrants were processed for expulsion under the public health order on Wednesday.

Additionally, he stated that the government intends to discourage illicit border crossings by deporting or returning migrants who do not qualify for asylum and by prosecuting serial border crossers.

After Title 42, the Biden administration has made it more difficult for migrants to qualify for asylum. Under a rule instituted on Friday, migrants who illegally cross the southern border will not be eligible for asylum if they did not request protection in another country, such as Mexico, before entering the United States.

Those who cannot demonstrate they are exempt from the rule will be deported to their native country or Mexico and banned from the United States for five years. El Paso, Texas, received 1,122 asylum claimants from Customs and Border Protection in response to an unprecedented order from immigration officials.

According to data published by the city, this is roughly five times the average number of permits issued on any given day during the previous three months. It followed a directive from Ortiz to discharge migrants into the United States without a scheduled court date or place and time to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at facilities along the southern border that were over capacity.

Per NY Post, Texas Representative Tony Gonzales acknowledged the lack of capacity at border facilities but said Ortiz's directive was hazardous. On Thursday, it was reported that five of the nine facilities in the Southwest region were over capacity.

Monday through Wednesday of this week, the Border Patrol surpassed 10,000 border crossers apprehended per day for the first time. An analysis of data from El Paso's Migrant Situational Awareness Dashboard revealed that, on average, between 189 and 526 migrants were released per day in the 12 weeks preceding Ortiz's order, which is a significant decrease.

A Florida federal judge ruled that CBP must hold individuals in custody until it has properly processed them, collected their biometric data, and scheduled a court date or field office appointment for them to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Judge T. Kent Wetherell issued the order after Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody challenged the policy in court against the Biden Administration. El Paso reported Thursday that it had taken in 1,700 additional asylum-seekers at the border since the conclusion of Title 42.

On Friday, it was reported that its migrant facilities were at 184% capacity, with 6,242 migrants in CBP detention - roughly the same number it had held all week before the expiration of Title 42.

Biden Administration Sets New Immigration Rule

Less than twenty-four hours after Title 42 was repealed, migrants and government officials were still evaluating the change and the new regulations adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden to stabilize the region.

Migrants along the border continued to wade into the Rio Grande while officials yelled for them to turn back, taking a risk on entering the United States. Others leaned over their mobile phones, attempting to access the new system's central appointment-scheduling application.

Migrants with scheduled appointments crossed a bridge in search of a new existence. Moreover, petitions were filed to halt some of the measures. The Biden administration has stated that the revamped system is intended to reduce illicit border crossings and provide a new legal pathway for migrants who frequently pay smugglers thousands of dollars to bring them to the border.

On Friday, Biden praised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his country's collaboration with the United States and Canada to establish migration centers in Latin America where asylum seekers can petition for asylum.

The US now prohibits migrants from seeking asylum if they did not first register online or seek protection in countries they passed through. Families whose immigration cases are pending will be subject to curfews and GPS monitoring, according to ABC News.

The administration's legal pathways consist of a program that allows up to 30,000 individuals per month from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the United States if they apply online with a financial sponsor and enter through an airport.

About one hundred processing centers are opening in Guatemala, Colombia, and other countries for migrants to petition to enter the United States, Spain, or Canada. With an app-reserved appointment, up to 1,000 people per day can enter the country through land crossings with Mexico.

If successful, the system could drastically alter the migration patterns at the southern border. However, Biden, who is seeking reelection, confronts scathing criticism from migrant advocates, who claim he is abandoning more humane methods, and from Republicans, who claim he is weak on border security.