President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border will be "chaotic for a while" after the pandemic-related Title 42 restrictions end. Biden said his administration is working to make the change orderly but acknowledged to reporters that this is something that "remains to be seen."
President Joe Biden predicted the U.S.-Mexico border would be “chaotic for a while" as the pandemic-related restrictions, which allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border, are set to end later this week. https://t.co/CxObMXDLnx pic.twitter.com/j5AfCb8O6M
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 9, 2023
Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke for about an hour on Tuesday about the situation at the border before restrictions end late Thursday night. These restrictions, which have been in effect since 2020, have allowed the authorities to expel migrants trying to cross the border due to the Covid-19 health emergency.
In the meantime, tens of thousands of people are crowding the border crossings. This causes an increase in asylum applications and a massive amount of people making it over the southern border, which comes with unforeseeable consequences. Cities such as El Paso, Brownsville and Laredo have declared a state of emergency due to the flood of migrants. In addition to sending federal troops to the border, the state of Texas has reinforced its tactical response in the last few hours.
The end of Title 42 brings fear and uncertainty
Now that thousands of new immigrants are crossing the border on a daily basis (approximately 16,000 every day), many people are speaking out. While the Department of Homeland Security is committed to strictly applying Title 8, the previous regulation that dealt with illegal aliens, more and more people are demanding that the government tighten measures due to the foreseeable entry of individuals who pose a threat to national security, especially considering that drug cartels are more prevalent than ever at the border.
For the time being, the situation at the border is a ticking time bomb. Thousands of people are crowding at the border of the country and they don't know what to do. Should they surrender or should they pour in all at once? The president has only acknowledged that everything will be somewhat "chaotic.”
