Title 42, the Trump-era Covid-19 policy preventing individuals seeking asylum from entering the US on the pretext that they could pose a health risk, expired late last night, with Homeland Security officials now predicting 10,000 illegal crossing attempts per day.
In anticipation of the policy change, once more restoring the right to an asylum hearing, US border agents were preparing for a massive surge in people from Central America seeking asylum at the southern border with Mexico, in part by busing some migrants to cities and towns across the US.
As many as 15 buses carrying migrants released by Border Patrol are expected to leave Yuma, Arizona, today. Another bus carrying migrants from New York City has already arrived in Newburgh, New York.
Over the last three years, authorities have effectively used Title 42 as a makeshift solution to the country’s ongoing immigration crisis, with over 2.8m people turned away since its introduction.
With the policy’s termination, many are worried border towns will become overwhelmed. The likes of El Paso and Brownsville in Texas have already declared a state of emergency.
