US: Migrants Gather to US-Mexico Border as Title 42 Policy Expires This Week

Migrants have been gathering at the southern border shared by the United States and Mexico this week as Washington prepares to end its pandemic-era border restrictions. The restrictions, which were in place for three years, blocked people from trying to enter the US and claiming asylum.

Lines of migrants were assembling at the US-Mexico border this week as the US prepares to lift its Title 42 pandemic-era border policy on May 11. The controversial policy blocked migrants from entering the US to claim asylum and is set to expire by midnight on Thursday, prompting migrants to head to the border in the hopes of entering the country. According to activists, queues of migrants began to arrive in Tijuana, which borders San Diego, California, in the hopes of getting ahead on asylum applications once the policy expires.

Activists also noted that some migrants have attempted to cross illegally, but the US has maintained that the borders will stay closed even as Title 42 expires.

At the time, Mexican President Andres Miguel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that he plans to speak with US President Joe Biden to discuss migration, among other key topics. Meanwhile, the Biden administration and the Texas state government are sending reinforcements to the border to prepare for an anticipated surge in illegal migration, which has long dogged Biden since taking office in 2021.

Meanwhile, authorities in the US have charged a man with eight counts of manslaughter after running his vehicle into a group of people standing outside a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, which is near the border. Brownsville police chief Felix Sauceda told a news conference on Monday that the suspect, identified as George Alvarez, attempted to flee the scene after hitting 18 people with his sports utility vehicle on Sunday. Sauceda referred to the incident, which killed eight people, as “a tragic event.”

“Through the investigation, it was found that the SUV ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side, and struck a total of 18 individuals,” said Sauceda, adding that authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the crash was deliberate.

Photo by Jerry Glaser (US Customs and Border Protection)/Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)