Thousands of migrants wreaked havoc on the US border hoping to get into the country before Title 42 is canceled

Thousands of migrants crossed the southern border of the United States. They are desperately trying to turn themselves in to federal immigration authorities before Title 42 expiration May 11 hoping to get asylum, and with it a chance for a new life. Writes about it New York Post.

Photo: IStock

Record number of arrests at the border

Migrants gathered on both sides of the US-Mexico border on Thursday, May 11, hours before the expiration of immigration restrictions known as Title 42, and some of them rush to cross the border ahead of tough new asylum rules. Reuters.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been holding up to 28 migrants at its facilities in recent days, far in excess of its stated capacity and what appears to be a record, two federal officials who wished to remain anonymous, as well as a Border Patrol union, said.

The busiest border detention facilities are in the Rio Grande and El Paso Valleys of Texas, as well as two Arizona boroughs, said union president Brandon Judd.

This week, the number of people caught illegally crossing exceeded 10 a day.

Due to the large number of arrivals, agents have begun releasing some immigrants without notice to appear before the immigration court, where they can apply for asylum, they will have to report to the immigration office later, Judd said.

On average, people spend almost three days in detention.

In Yuma, Arizona, hundreds of migrants lined up in the cold predawn hours near a high border fence, waiting to surrender to US agents.

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Some, like 40-year-old Giovanna Gomez from Colombia, decided to try their luck by crossing the border now that they learned about the change in US policy.

“Our borders are not open,” Alejandro Mallorcas, head of the Department of Homeland Security, told reporters.

CBP has confirmed that Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who illegally cross the southwestern border after Title 42 expires will continue to be sent back to Mexico, which can receive a total of up to 30 migrants from those countries each month.

Border districts declare a state of emergency and ask for help

Cameron and Hidalgo counties in South Texas declared a state of emergency before Title 42 expires at 23:59 pm on May 11 to help free up state and federal resources. US troops, agents and other federal workers moved to the southern border this week to help deal with a possible stampede. CNN

Authorities in US border cities continue to ask for help to meet the needs of migrants, makeshift camps are multiplying, and social services are being pushed to breaking point.

Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño worries about the safety of migrants because Laredo does not have a permanent pediatric intensive care unit.

“I don’t want any child to become seriously ill and not be able to receive treatment,” Treviño said.

In Yuma, Arizona, daily arrivals of migrants have increased from 300 to 1000 or more in the past month, Mayor Douglas Nicholls said. He wants a federal emergency declaration to provide "not just money, but resources on the ground."

“A full response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard, as in any other natural disaster, would be the start of relief,” Nicholls said.

The border crisis could have been "prevented for a long time" if immigration reform had been carried out, Treviño said. Now his community is paying the price.

“In the end, what has always been a federal issue for decades has become a local issue for our border communities,” Treviño said.

Immigrant stories

Kevin Perez, 21, Venezuela

Kevin Perez and his sister walked, took buses, and flew planes on their month-long crossing to the border from their home in Venezuela.

They were walking towards Juarez.

But other migrants told them that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were there and ready to be deported.

So they headed to Brownsville, where they were told that the military and border guards would be easier to deal with.

They rushed to the Rio Grande in Matamoros and swam as fast as they could to the other side and surrendered to the agents.

“They stripped us and took all our belongings - they only allowed us to keep small personal items like a watch and a phone,” he said. “We were handcuffed as if we were criminals and not people looking for a better life.”

Prior to his release, Perez visited three CBP sites in Texas.

He was sleeping outside the Brownsville bus station while waiting for his sister when he received a tearful voicemail from her saying she was being deported.

“This is a disaster,” she said through tears. “They attacked us and took everything.” Some were handcuffed, others were given ankle bracelets for women and children. They didn't let me in, they deported me. What to do?"

Perez, who has an August 2023 trial with an immigration judge, is waiting for his family to send him money so he can buy a plane ticket to his final destination, Maryland.

Shawine, 27, Jamaica

Shawain, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, said he and his tired, hungry 7-year-old son hid in the bushes for two days until the border patrol said they no longer needed to hide.

They camped near Dairy Mart Road in San Diego, which is on American soil sandwiched between two border walls.

He left his home because his family was threatened, but did not go into details.

“The police are no good for protection. Even my son is scared... The area we lived in is dangerous,” he explained.

Shawein hopes the US will grant him asylum.

“I need a better life for my son,” he stressed.

Stephen, Ecuador

Steven said that he and his family fled their native Ecuador because there was "a lot of crime and corruption."

They walked through the jungle with 15 other people who helped him and his wife Jenny - taking turns carrying bags and their 2-year-old son Michael.

The fugitives made it to the border near San Ysidro, an area south of San Diego, north of Mexico. According to him, they were given a number, a bracelet and told to sit and wait.

Steven says that it gets cold in the migrant camp at night.

He asked border patrol agents for trash bags to swaddle his son at night and keep him warm.

The man still hopes to move to the US to provide a better life for his young family.

“We have suffered so much already,” he remarked.

Caver Alvarez-Díaz, 27, Venezuela

Alvarez-Díaz and his wife began their long journey from Venezuela to the southern border about a month ago.

He says that as soon as they crossed the Rio Grande, they immediately surrendered to the border guards.

The authorities separated them, and Alvarez-Díaz spent several days in the center before his release.

From there he went to the bus station in Brownsville, Texas, where there were about 70 other male migrants who were also separated from their wives and children during the crossing.

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Some waited several days without knowing the whereabouts of their families.

Alvarez-Díaz slept outside the station while waiting for his wife to arrive so they could go to Dallas.

Then he learned that she had already been deported.

“I don’t understand, why turn away from women? said Alvarez-Diaz, who has an appointment with an immigration judge in 2027. - I don’t know what to do now. I came all this way only to realize that it was in vain.”

Leonel Rojas, 20, and Gerber, 19, Venezuela

Leonel Rojas reported that he arrived in Juarez on May 10 in the afternoon.

He took the train to get here, and he has no final destination. He just wants to cross the border before Title 42 expires - once that happens, the deportees can be expelled from the United States for five years.

But there are no such rules for Title 42 deportees.

He is willing to do whatever it takes to stay - no matter what kind of work he has to do when he arrives.

“Once I get there, I’ll find something to do,” Rojas said. “We’ll do anything—wash dishes, pick up trash, whatever.” For now, we can work on the other side.”

“We’re not going back,” he continued. “There’s nothing there for us.” Even if I have to jump over a border wall, I'm willing to do it. We've gone through so much to get here! I’ll climb it, and if I die trying, at least I tried to do something.”

“But the goal is to get to the US – there is no going back,” Rojas said.

He went so far with his friend Gerber.

Gerber, a father of two, said he was trying to meet a friend in Chicago.

“There is no life in Venezuela,” he stated. “We want the American dream.”

According to him, there are still many migrants on the way. And they are just as desperate.

“There are people who have been through hell in this jungle,” Gerber observed, referring to Darien Gap, a remote stretch of treacherous rainforest that connects Central and South America.

“They were robbed, raped - for what? So they can get here and not be admitted? - he summarizes. - No. People will find a way to get in.”

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