Migrants Describe ‘Urgency’ to Cross Border as Title 42 Expires

As COVID-19 pandemic-related asylum regulations were set to expire on Thursday, migrants quickly made their way across the nation's southern border in hopes of entering the United States before the restrictions lifted.

The Associated Press reported Border Patrol agents were instructed on Wednesday to release some migrants under the condition that they report to an immigration office within 60 days.

The changes come as the Biden administration has started to put forward new regulations in lieu of Title 42 — the policy that, since March 2020, has prohibited asylum-seeking in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

William Contreras, of Venezuela, told the AP that Title 42 was favorable to those who left his native country. He heard many were released in the United States once they arrived, according to the outlet.

According to the AP, Border Patrol stopped approximately 10,000 migrants on Tuesday — nearly twice the daily average of roughly 5,200 people just two months ago. Officials have meanwhile predicted nearly 11,000 migrants at most will make up a post-Title 42 surge.

Migrants have feared policies moving forward will make it more difficult to enter the country, and some new restrictions are already taking hold.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it will set stringent restrictions on asylum for anyone who travels through another country into the United States, the AP reported.

The department also rolled out curfews paired with GPS tracking for families released in the country ahead of their asylum hearings.

Under Title 42, there were no legal punishments for those who sought asylum despite the rule — a condition that led to repeat attempts to enter the country for some, according to the AP.

With its expiration on Thursday, migrants can be banned from entering the United States for five years and can face possible criminal charges.

Albino Leon, 51, flew from Colombia to Mexico and was able to move past a first border wall to touch U.S. soil, he told the AP from San Diego, California.

Leon said the end of Title 42 prompted him, his wife, and his daughter to try for entry this week.

“With the changes they are making to the laws," he said, "it’s now or never."