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Migrant detentions at U.S.-Mexico border hit record highs as Title 42 ends
Updated 20:20, 12-May-2023
CGTN
Migrants line up along the U.S.-Mexico border prior to boarding a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol bus near El Paso, Texas, U.S., May 11, 2023. /Reuters
Migrants line up along the U.S.-Mexico border prior to boarding a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol bus near El Paso, Texas, U.S., May 11, 2023. /Reuters

Migrants line up along the U.S.-Mexico border prior to boarding a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol bus near El Paso, Texas, U.S., May 11, 2023. /Reuters

Migrants gathered on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday hours before immigration restrictions known as Title 42 expire, with some rushing to cross ahead of tough new asylum rules that will replace a COVID-era order.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has in recent days been holding up to 28,000 migrants at its facilities, far beyond its stated capacity and in what appeared to be a record, two federal officials requesting anonymity and the Border Patrol's union said.

The busiest border detention facilities are in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso in Texas and two areas in Arizona, according to union President Brandon Judd.

This week, the number of people caught crossing illegally topped 10,000 per day.

Due to the high volume of arrivals, agents on Wednesday began releasing some migrants without notice to appear in immigration court where they can make an asylum claim, telling them to report to an immigration office later, Judd said.

On Thursday night, a federal judge in Florida blocked such releases, saying they were similar to a policy previously enjoined in March due to a failure to follow proper regulatory procedures.

Political finger-pointing

U.S. border cities have struggled to shelter the new arrivals and provide transportation to other destinations. Far from the border, other cities say they are also struggling to cope, such as New York, where Mayor Eric Adams temporarily loosened right-to-shelter rules because of strained resources.

U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who left the Democratic Party five months ago, criticized the administration on Thursday, telling reporters the president had failed to adequately prepare for the end of Title 42.

She said small towns in her state have been struggling to transport arriving migrants with little access to resources like buses or shelters.

Republicans fault the current U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat running for re-election in 2024, for scrapping the restrictive policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican seeking to win back the White House.

Biden administration officials in recent days have escalated their attacks on Republicans, saying they failed to fix immigration laws or provide adequate border funds.

Since Biden took office in January 2021, the country has seen a record 4.6 million arrests of migrants crossing illegally, although the tally includes many repeat crossers. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week showed that only 26 percent approved of Biden's handling of immigration.

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott, a fierce critic of the president's border policies, expanded a National Guard deployment this week "to help intercept and repel large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday urged Washington to pursue diplomacy and rapprochement, including with Cuba and Venezuela, as a way to tackle the immigration crisis.

Read more:

Title 8 takes over as U.S. lifts pandemic-era Title 42 rules for migrants

(With input from Reuters)

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