Global Courant 2023-05-12 09:03:05
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement at midnight Thursday as the public health Title 42 expired, confirming that the U.S.-Mexico border remains secure and Border Guard agents will resume authorized removal of migrants.
“The border is not open,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “As of tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a legal path will be presumed ineligible for asylum.”
He added: “We have 24,000 Border Patrol agents and officers on the southwestern border and have deployed thousands of troops and contractors, and over a thousand asylum officers to help enforce our laws. Don’t believe the lies of smugglers.”
Mayorkas warned that violators would face “harder consequences” as the Biden administration tries to combat the ongoing migrant crisis.
AS MIGRANT GOLF DRAWS THE BORDER, MAYORKAS SAYS IT ‘WILL TAKE TIME’ BEFORE THE RESULTS OF PLAN TITLE 42 ARE REALIZED
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during the daily news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on May 11, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“People who do not use available legal avenues to enter the US now face harsher consequences, including a minimum five-year ban on return and potential criminal charges,” he said. “Together with our partners from the federal government and the Western Hemisphere, we are prepared for this transition.”
As for the migrants currently in the country, Mayorkas said DHS and its partners are “ready to humanely process and remove those without legal basis to remain in the US.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), speaks at a news conference at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
Migrants with children board Border Patrol vans after waiting along the border wall to surrender to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents for immigration and asylum application processing as they cross the Rio Grande into the United States at the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 11, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Mayorkas’ warning comes as Border Police officers detain another 10,000 migrants on Wednesday, the third day in a row, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources.
MAYORKAS ISSUES A NEW WARNING TO MIGRANTS AS BORDER PATROL GIVES A RECORD FORWARD AT THE END OF TITLE 42
The statement comes after a federal judge on Thursday night blocked the Biden administration from enacting policies that would have allowed immigration officials to release migrants currently in custody. The policy was announced to free up immigrant detention facilities to prevent overcrowding ahead of the expiration of Title 42, which was expected to bring a wave of migrants to the border.
In his decision, Judge T. Kent Wetherell II imposed a two-week restraining order on the policy.
The policy was outlined in a memo from the Border Patrol, which said migrants could be conditionally allowed into the country if the CBP faced overcrowding.
Migrants board Border Patrol vans after waiting along the border wall as they cross the Rio Grande into the United States at the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 11, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking at the White House earlier Thursday, Mayorkas warned the country would see a brief rise in the number of encounters with migrants at the border.
“We initially expected high numbers of encounters. We are already seeing high numbers of encounters in certain sectors,” said Mayorkas. “This puts incredible strain on our staff, our facilities and our communities with whom we work closely. We have been preparing for this moment for almost two years and our plan will deliver results. It will take time for those results to be fully realized, and it It’s essential that we all take that into account.”
BORDER PATROL MEETS 10,000 MIGRANTS FOR THIRD DAY IN A ROW AS NUMBERS Swell FOR TITLE 42 DROPS
The State Department previously announced that with the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday, the US would return to implementing Title 8.
“Like many other COVID-era public health measures, the CDC’s temporary Title 42 public health order is also coming to an end. But the lifting of the Title 42 order does not mean the border is open,” the ministry said. of Foreign Affairs in a statement. on April 27.
The expiration of Title 42, a public health order issued in 2020, is expected to bring a wave of migrants to the United States-Mexico border. (John Moore/Getty Images)
It continued: “When the Title 42 order is lifted at 11:59 p.m. May 11, the United States will revert to using Title 8 immigration authorities to promptly process and remove individuals arriving unlawfully at the U.S. border . These decades-old authorities carry serious consequences for illegal entry, including at least a five-year ban on return and possible criminal charges for repeated attempts at illegal entry.”
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President Biden and Congress have failed to reach an agreement on the security of the southern border. The president has threatened to veto the latest proposal from Republicans in the House.
Adam Shaw and Chris Pandolfo of Fox News contributed to this report.
