Download
U.S. bolsters border amid surge of migrants as restriction policy ends
CGTN
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States are processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing into Arizona from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona,U.S., May 10, 2023. /CFP
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States are processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing into Arizona from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona,U.S., May 10, 2023. /CFP

Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States are processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing into Arizona from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona,U.S., May 10, 2023. /CFP

Several thousands of U.S. troops are being deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border, facing a chaotic surge of migrants as Title 42, a public health policy that allows swiftly expelling migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, comes to an end on Thursday.

About 2,500 U.S. National Guard troops have already been at the country's southern border. The White House has said another 1,500 troops will be sent there before the end of this month, bringing the U.S. military presence at the border to a total of 4,000 personnel.

A number of Texas border cities including El Paso and Brownsville, among other hot spots, have recently issued disaster declarations so as to tap into more resources to manage the influx of migrants.

More than 10,000 migrants were caught crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border illegally each day on Monday and Tuesday, according to Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Many of them are spending nights at the border with the hope of entering the U.S. after the restriction policy ends. 

Read more:

Migrants gather at U.S.-Mexico border as Title 42 is set to expire

Migrants of various nationalities wait in San Diego, California, May 9, 2023./CFP
Migrants of various nationalities wait in San Diego, California, May 9, 2023./CFP

Migrants of various nationalities wait in San Diego, California, May 9, 2023./CFP

The Title 42 policy, introduced in March 2020 under then U.S. President Donald Trump, is to end at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, and has turned migrants back to Mexico more than 2.5 million times without letting them request asylum, according to the latest federal data.

The Biden administration has also prepared new restrictions for migrants crossing the border. The U.S. rolled out a regulation on Wednesday that presumes most migrants are ineligible for asylum if they had traveled through another country without seeking protection elsewhere first or if they failed to enter the U.S. lawfully.

Migrants violating the new rule could be deported and barred from the United States for five years, said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The Biden administration will also open the first "regional processing centers," among about 100 planned, in Colombia and Guatemala so as to direct migrants to legal pathways finally leading into the United States.

The end of Title 42 "does not mean our border is open," Mayorkas said on Wednesday, adding that, "Even after nearly two years of preparation, we expect to see large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks after May 11."

Migrants cross the Rio Grande river with a baby in a suitcase, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, May 10, 2023. /CFP
Migrants cross the Rio Grande river with a baby in a suitcase, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, May 10, 2023. /CFP

Migrants cross the Rio Grande river with a baby in a suitcase, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, May 10, 2023. /CFP

The crossings are a political flashpoint in the United States with Republicans criticizing Biden for rolling back Trump's hardline policies.

A coalition of 22 Republican state attorneys general has opposed the new asylum rule for being "riddled with exceptions."

But some Democrats and immigration advocates say Biden's new regulation is too harsh, comparing it to measures implemented under Trump blocked by U.S. courts. They also say it undercuts asylum guarantees in U.S. law and international agreements.

The measure counters previous statements Biden made in 2020 on the campaign trail, when he said he thought it was "wrong" for people not to be able to seek asylum in the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union has already signaled it will sue over the policy.

(With input from agencies)

Search Trends