Thousands Of Migrants Wait To Cross US Border As Title 42 Expires: SEE PICS

Thousands of migrants rushed across Mexico's border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire on Thursday (May 11), fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. Hundreds of migrants have camped out at the border between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego. (Source: Getty)

Title 42 is a COVID-era provision which restricted most of the entry of most asylum-seekers from seeking legal entry into the United States. Some of the people have stayed at the borders for almost a week, hoping to turn themselves into US Customs and Border Protection officials. However, they have been waiting in the open air with almost little to no food. (Source: Getty)

Migrants waiting here said, they are very tired and hungry and they have been here for six days. They were requesting President Biden to help them. (Source: Getty)

While the Border Patrol didn’t explain how they were handling the migrants, they have organised migrants into groups, prioritising those who arrived first and women travelling with children, reported Reuters. (Source: Getty)

After the Border Patrol leave the area, aid workers distribute food and water through the bollards in the wall, again prioritising women with children. Beyond food and water, another lifeline volunteers provide is the charging of cell phones, so that migrants can communicate with loved ones back home. (Source: Getty)

Title 42 dates back to a 1944 law known as the Public Health Act. It granted US authorities emergency powers to prevent the spread of diseases, according to the BBC. In March 2020, the Trump administration invoked the statute, citing the need to stop the spread of COVID-19 across its borders. Using this as a justification, US authorities were able to swiftly remove migrants crossing the border from Mexico - including asylum seekers. (Source: Getty)

So far, around 2.8 million people have been expelled under Title 42 since it was implemented, according to US Customs and Border Protection, BBC reported. (Source: Getty)

President Joe Biden tried to keep Title 42 in place. However, he later attempted to end its use in 2022. But the Republicans sued as they argued that the restrictions were necessary for border security, and the courts kept the rules in place. (Source: Getty)

Meanwhile, the Biden administration announced in January that it was ending national COVID-19 emergencies officially on May 11 and so the border restrictions are now going away. Biden has said the new changes are necessary, in part because Congress has passed no immigration reform in decades. (Source: Getty)

After it was lifted on May 11, under the country’s international law, anyone who comes to the US can ask for asylum. People from all over the world come to the US-Mexico border to seek asylum in the US. They are screened to determine whether they have a credible fear of persecution in their homeland. (Source: Getty)

The US has said it will accept up to 30,000 per month from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba as long as they come by air, have a sponsor and apply online first. The government will also allow up to 100,000 people from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. (Source: Getty)