Pandemic-related asylum restrictions that allowed the United States to expel millions of migrants expired early Friday as some immigrants try to enter the country before they begin to be imposed. the new restrictions announced by the government of President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, the executive branch suffered a legal setback when a federal judge temporarily blocked its attempt to release migrants more quickly when Border Patrol detention facilities are at full capacity.
In northern Mexico, some migrants, including children, were strolling along the US border, reinforced with barbed wire and soldiers, not knowing exactly where to go or what to do next. Others settled in shelters, determined to get an asylum appointment, even though it could take months to get one.
Arrivals 10 pm in El Paso, Texas, midnight ET, Title 42 ended. On the other side of Gate 42 were about 350 people waiting to be processed by CBP. From this point on, expulsions will only be made under Title 8.
In Matamoros, opposite Brownsville, Texas, migrant families hesitated for just a moment when the deadline expired to enter the waters of the Rio Grande that separates the two cities, holding their cell phones above the water to light the way to the United States.
The US authorities yelled at them to turn around.
“Watch out for the kids,” an officer yelled through a megaphone. “This is especially dangerous for children.”
The expired rules, known as Title 42, had been in place since March 2020 and allowed border agents to quickly return asylum seekers across the border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
US authorities have been unveiling new measures that restrict illegal crossings while establishing legal pathways for migrants to apply online, find a sponsor and undergo background checks. If successful, the reforms could completely alter the way migrants arrive at the southern border of the United States.
Many migrants were well aware of the impending policy changes put in place to end illegal crossings and encourage asylum seekers to apply online and weigh alternative destinations, such as Canada and Spain.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, if they are going to extend this or not,” Jhoan Daniel Barrios, a former Venezuelan military police officer, said as he walked up and down Ciudad Juárez, which borders El Paso, Texas, with two friends. , looking for the opportunity to request asylum in the United States.
“It’s that we no longer have money, we don’t have food, we have nowhere to stay, the cartel keeps chasing us,” added Barrios, whose wife is in the custody of US authorities. “What are we going to do? Wait until they kill us?”
Last week, Barrios and his friends entered the United States and were expelled. They didn’t have much hope of a different result on Thursday.
On the US side of the river, many turned themselves in immediately to authorities and awaited release as their cases progressed through the crowded immigration courts, which often takes several years.
At the moment it is unknown how many migrants mobilized or how long the wave would last. But by Thursday night the flow seemed to be slowing in places. However, it remains to be seen if the number of crossings will increase again after the expiration of the restrictions.
A US federal official reported that Border Patrol apprehended about 10,000 migrants on Tuesday, nearly double the March level and just shy of the 11,000 that authorities have said is the ceiling they expect after Title 42 expires. .
There were more than 27,000 people in US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, the official said.
“Our buses are full. Our planes are full,” said Pedro Cardenas, a municipal commissioner in Brownsville, Texas, which borders Matamoros, Mexico, as the new arrivals headed to different parts of the United States.
It will take time before the results of the new policies are perceived. President Biden has acknowledged that the border will be in chaos for some time. Immigrant advocacy groups have threatened legal action. And migrants fleeing poverty, gangs and persecution in their home countries remain desperate to reach US soil at any cost.
Although Title 42 prevented many migrants from applying for asylum, it had no legal consequences, encouraging repeated entry attempts. After Thursday, migrants who cross illegally face a ban from entering the country for up to five years, as well as possible criminal charges.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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