migration
US deportation rule expires: migrants flock to the border
Migrants cross the Rio Grande River border between Mexico and the United States. photo
© Fernando Llano/AP/dpa
At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the US government decided on a regulation for the quick deportation of migrants. Now “Title 42” expires. This could make things even more difficult for thousands of migrants in Mexico.
Thousands of migrants have gathered at the Mexican border with the United States shortly before a deportation regulation expires. They hope to get to the United States before the end of “Title 42” on Friday night (local time). Because although this rule was controversial, many of the migrants now fear that the future rule could become even more restrictive and ruin their chances of a new life in the United States.
The previous pandemic regulation made it possible to quickly deport migrants to Mexico, citing health risks. Between 2000 and 2023, the US authorities deported 2.8 million people. The US is now returning to the application of what is known as Title 8, which provides for a five-year re-entry ban in the event of illegal immigration. Many migrants also fear that in future they will not be deported to Mexico, but to their home countries.
“It’s not cheap at all, it’s very hard. It’s not good for us migrants at all,” said Angie Manzanares from Colombia to the German Press Agency. She arrived in the northwestern Mexican border town of Tijuana a month ago and lives in a migrant shelter with her husband and nine-year-old son. They hope for an appointment for legal entry, otherwise they would stay in Mexico. Illegal border crossing is too risky.
However, according to media reports, other migrants have increasingly tried to cross the border in recent days, for example by swimming or in self-made boats across the Rio Bravo border river or by climbing over the border fence.
Up to 12,000 migrants a day?
The Title 42 rule was introduced under former US President Donald Trump and, with reference to the corona pandemic, made it easier for migrants to be rejected quickly – even before they could apply for asylum.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas warned the public on Wednesday that the situation on the southern border would deteriorate. “The coming days and weeks could be very difficult,” Mayorkas said in Washington. It is to be expected that many migrants trying to enter the country will be apprehended in the near future. This is already the case in certain areas. The Mexican newspaper Milenio reported on Wednesday that up to 12,000 migrants are expected to arrive in the US border cities of El Paso, Brownsville and Laredo in the state of Texas.
Mayorkas further said that the US government had been preparing for the end of the pandemic regulation for a long time and was significantly increasing the staff at the border. He reiterated: “Our border is not open. Crossing the border illegally is against the law.” The USA consistently enforced the applicable rules.
Mexican activist José María Lara, who runs the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana, warned that people smugglers could use the situation to their advantage. “As before, the migrants will be deported to Mexico or to their places of origin. And they can also be punished for five years,” said Lara of the German Press Agency. This will lead to migrants hiring smugglers to cross the border illegally, who will lure them in with the promise of being able to help them across the border whenever the rules change.