US: DHS Chief Says Border Crossings Dropped By 50 Percent Since Title 42 Expired

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that since the expiration of the controversial Title 42 border policy, there has been a drop in border crossings. However, Mayorkas noted that it was still early into the expiration and that the DHS was prepared for an anticipated surge.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Mayorkas said that US border patrol agents had seen a drop in illegal border crossings by 50 percent since the expiration of the COVID-era border restrictions on Thursday last week. Mayorkas added that the border patrol agents had around 6,300 encounters with migrants crossing the border on Friday and an additional 4,200 on Saturday compared with the 10,000 before Title 42 expired.

“Over the past two days, the United States Border Patrol has experienced a 50 percent drop in the number of encounters versus what we were experiencing earlier in the week before Title 42 ended at midnight on Friday,” said Mayorkas. “It is still early. We are still on day three. But we have been planning for this transition for months and months.”

The controversial border policy blocked many migrants from applying for asylum at the border for the last three years since it was introduced during the pandemic. Authorities could turn away migrants without giving them the chance to apply for asylum. In a report by Reuters, there have been nine incidents where US authorities told asylum-seekers looking to cross the border that they needed to book appointments through the CBP One government app.

The US Customs and Border Protection said that following the expiration of Title 42, they were prioritizing migrants who have appointments in an effort to streamline processing.

However, the new policy introduced by the Biden administration requiring migrants to apply for asylum in the countries they crossed before reaching the US presumed that most migrants are not eligible to apply for protection in the US if they resorted to illegal pathways, according to the report.

The new policies have also been met with legal challenges by advocates even as it took effect. The legal challenge cited that the new immigration policies violate both US and international laws. Advocates said the new policies enforced by Democratic President Joe Biden resemble measures taken by his immediate Republican predecessor Donald Trump.

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