Global Courant 2023-05-11 19:31:07
Border Patrol agents apprehended 10,000 migrants on Wednesday, the third day in a row to cross that threshold, as border crossings continue to rise before the end of Title 42, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News.
This week saw the highest daily totals ever recorded for Border Patrol. There were also historic numbers of more than 10,000 per day on Monday and Tuesday.
Currently, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approximately 28,000 migrants in federal custody. The capacity across the southern border is approximately 10,000, so several sectors are currently well over their capacity.
Fox is told the agency’s priority right now is to avoid images of overcrowding and process migrants as quickly as possible. Authorities earlier this week gave the green light to “safe” mass releases on the streets if CBP and NGO partners can’t stop them. It means that the biggest wave of mass releases in history has already begun and will continue for the next few days.
AS MIGRANT GOLF DRAWS THE BORDER, MAYORKAS SAYS IT ‘WILL TAKE TIME’ BEFORE THE RESULTS OF PLAN TITLE 42 ARE REALIZED
US Border Patrol agents hand out bracelets as they treat asylum seekers waiting in San Diego on Monday between the double fence along the US-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
The releases come as the Biden administration finishes its Title 42 public health order late Thursday. The order allowed authorities to expel migrants quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, 46% of all encounters resulted in a title 42 eviction.
Now that order has ended, migrants have rushed to the border believing they are more likely to be released into the US. That belief appears to be supported at least in part by the government’s plans for mass releases. However, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said the belief is based on misinformation, and has promised that those who enter illegally and who do not take advantage of the legal extended asylum pathways made available by the administration will be removed from the country.
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“Smugglers only care about profit, not people. They don’t care about you or your well-being. Don’t believe their lies,” he urged migrants this week. “Don’t risk your life and your savings to be removed from the United States, if and when you get here.”
The highlight of the administration’s preparations for the end of Title 42 is a new asylum rule that would make migrants ineligible for asylum if they entered illegally and did not apply for asylum in a third country they traveled through.
The government has also promised that penalties for illegal entry will be tougher when the public health order expires. That includes the increased use of expedited removal — which carries a five-year entry ban and potential criminal charges. It has also sent personnel, including troops, to the border. Separately, it has set up migrant processing centers in Latin America and signed agreements with Mexico for its southern neighbor to accept returns from non-Mexican migrants.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S PLAN FOR THE MASS RELEASE OF MIGRANTS TO US OUTLINES IN 2022 INTERNAL MEMO
But despite the months of planning, Mayorkas admitted he expects the next few days and weeks to be “very difficult”.
“Even after nearly two years of preparation, we expect large numbers of encounters at our southern border in the days and weeks following May 11,” he said. “We are already seeing large numbers of encounters in certain industries. This is putting an incredible strain on our staff, our facilities and our communities with whom we work closely.”
And despite the dire urgency of the situation, he said it would take time for people to see the results of that planning.
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“Our plan will deliver results, but it will take time for those results to be fully realized. And it is essential that we all take this into account,” he said.
Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.
He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or at Twitter.
