Title 42 expiration – latest: Child migrant dies in US custody as Biden under fire over immigration policy

Less than 24 hours after the Title 42 immigration policy ended, approximately 23,000 migrants were in Border Patrol custody, a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN, as tens of thousands more have gathered at the US-Mexico border seeking asylum.

An influx of migrants seeking asylum has strained cities and towns at the US border like El Paso and Brownsville and problems with US leaders enacting new policies have left many in limbo.

“We knew this was going to be a difficult transition,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in an interview with Good Morning America on Friday.

Ariana Baio reports:

Title 42 has been used as a temporary solution to the US’s border crisis for the last three years but as it comes to an end, President Joe Biden will have to replace it with new policies.

Mr Biden indicated these new policies in a fact sheet released in January.

Here’s what he plans to do:

• Expand the parole process for up to 30,000 nationals of Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba per month who have eligible sponsors and pass background checks. These people may come to the US for a period of two years and receive work authorisation.
• Increase the use of expedited removal to the country of origin for individuals who attempt to enter the US without permission or without a legal basis to remain. These individuals are also subject to a five-year ban on re-entry.
• Increase refugee admissions from Latin America and Caribbean countries.
• Launch a mobile application for migrants to schedule appointments to reduce wait times and crowds at US ports of entry.
• Increase humanitarian assistance by $23m in Mexico and Central America.
• Open legal pathways to the US via other countries like Canada, Mexico and Spain.
• Expand agents and active-duty military personnel to help Border Patrol.

Several immigration-rights leaders from organisations like Amnesty International, ACLU, the National Immigration Law Center and more gathered on Friday to issue statements condemning President Joe Biden’s new immigration policies.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director of Amnesty International, said “the US government is outsourcing its border enforcement to Mexico and now Colombia and Guatemala, but it’s not willing to take responsibility for the chaos its policies have created.”

“Amnesty International USA calls upon the Biden Administration to abandon the asylum ban and instead invest in systems of welcome,” Executive Director of Amnesty International USA Paul O’Brien said.

Kica Matos, the incoming president of the National Immigration Law Center said Mr Biden had broken his promise to “reassert America’s commitment to asylum-seekers and uphold their right to seek safety.”

Border towns are already overwhelmed by the number of migrants and asylum seekers hoping to cross over into the US legally and with Title 42 coming to an end tonight, many are worried for what’s to come.

“It’s a real crisis,” said Father Rafael Garcia, a priest at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas told The New York Times.

Over 600 migrants are seeking temporary shelter in El Paso as they await the end of Title 42 to then enter the US legally, according to the El Paso Times.

But without places to stay, people have made makeshift shelters on the street.

“If this is now, what is it going to look like after May 11? How is this going to unfold?” Father Garcia said.

As the US prepares for a massive influx of migrants, some are being bussed to airports to head for other parts of the country.

At least fifteen buses carrying migrants released by Border Patrol are thought to be leaving Yuma, Arizona today - according to a migrant services group per The New York Times.

They are apparently headed for the Phoenix airport where they will continue their travels.

Another two buses of migrants from New York City were brought to the suburb of Newburgh, New York.

Several cities like Washington DC are preparing for an increase in the number of migrants.

An unaccompanied migrant minor died while in the custody of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the White House confirmed on Friday.

In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House was “aware of the tragic loss” and President Joe Biden had been briefed on it.

“There is a medical investigation that was opened on May 10,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

The HHS said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened by this tragic loss and our hearts go out to the family, with whom we are in touch,” according to NBC News.

The minor was a 17-year-old boy from Ecuador

Before there was Title 42, there was Title 8 which allowed authorities to remove migrants who crossed into the US illegally.

Under Title 8, migrants caught crossing illegally will be deported and given a five year ban on re-entering as well as potential criminal charges.

The harsh consequences will restart at midnight on 12 May.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told migrants seeking to come to the US southern border illegally not to, indicating there would steeper consequences.

VOICES: For Republicans, ending Title 42 has been a political boon. GOP senators largely dashed any hopes of another Covid-19 relief package last year on the basis of Mr Biden’s decision to end the policy.

People seeking asylum in the United States are being misled but smugglers, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Two Venezuelan migrants told BBC that smugglers and other migrants informed them they would not be able to enter the US if they presented themselves at the border so they should illegally cross the barriers.

“We trusted them, and were starting to move into the US. But we were stopped at a road block,” Jon Uzcategui said. “The agents told us that was all false.”

In a White House press conference on Thursday, Mr Mayorkas said that smugglers are falsely telling migrants that they can enter the US if they illegally cross the US-Mexico border

He called on people seeking asylum to enter the US through legal pathways.

“It’s extraordinarily dangerous, Mr Mayorkas said of the journey. “They are in the hands of ruthless smugglers.”

Mr Mayorkas said that they should not trust smugglers as they do not care about migrants well-being, only money.