Controversial deportation practices in the US ended – hurry to the southern border

Tens of thousands of migrants on the southern border of the US fear for their future with great uncertainty. With the lifting of the corona crisis in the United States, Friday evening also ended a controversial deportation practice that in previous years had allowed migrants to be quickly rejected in reference to the pandemic. Many of the migrants from Central and South America once hoped that the abolition of the so-called Title 42 regime would give them better chances of being admitted to the US, but are becoming increasingly disillusioned. Because the US government has taken numerous measures to combat the crowds at the border.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas again tried to temper false expectations on Friday night. “The border is not open,” he announced as the controversial deportation practice ended at midnight (local time). From now on, people who arrive at the border without using a legal route would not be eligible for asylum, he said. Those who did not use the available legal avenues to enter the United States would also face harsher consequences from now on. US President Joe Biden had previously said the situation at the border would remain “chaotic for a while”.

Deportations have so far been possible in relation to the pandemic

The Title 42 rule allows people to be barred from entering the United States if there is a threat to public health from the introduction of disease. In March 2020, the border control authorities under then US President Donald Trump – impressed by the corona pandemic – were instructed to apply this rule. With reference to the pandemic, rapid and unbureaucratic rejection of migrants became possible – before they could even apply for asylum.

According to the Title 42 rule, 2.8 million deportations would have taken place within three years. The ordinance was supposed to expire last year, but several U.S. states, including Arizona and Texas, objected — and were right. The controversial deportation practice only came to an end when the Corona emergency was over.

Illegal entry attempts are now penalized

The US is now returning to applying the so-called Title 8 regime. The administrative burden for border guards is higher because migrants can no longer be expelled without regular procedures. However, this does not necessarily mean that their chances of a positive asylum decision increase. At the same time, there are stricter rules: the Title 8 regulation provides for a five-year ban on return in case of attempted illegal immigration. Fines and imprisonment may also be imposed. Many migrants also fear that in the future they will not be deported to Mexico, but to their home country.

App for registration with overloaded border authorities

In addition, the US government has issued a whole series of measures to reduce the crowds at the border. Migrants wanting to enter the United States must use an app to make an appointment with border authorities. However, only a limited number of appointments are made available and many people at the border report that the software is overloaded. The US government has also sent additional personnel to the border. Among others, 1,500 soldiers will help the authorities in the border area for 90 days with administrative tasks such as data entry and camp support.

At the end of April, the US government also announced that it would open migration centers in Colombia and Guatemala, among others, and move the first registration of asylum seekers there. In this way, the aim is to “spare” people the often dangerous journey to the US border, it said.

Uncertainty about the new rules

According to US media reports, the number of migrants in northern Mexico hoping to enter the United States currently stands at 150,000. As many find it difficult to assess the new rules, some tried to cross the border on Thursday and in the days before the crossing to close.

“There are rumors that the regulations are now becoming stricter and that we will not get through it so easily,” says a 24-year-old Mexican from the German news agency. She arrived in the Mexican border town of Tijuana, across from San Diego, California, in March with her husband and two young children. According to authorities, some 500 to 700 migrants arrived in Tijuana every day, more than twice as many as before. Hundreds have managed to scale a first wall on US soil in recent days and are now waiting in an area in front of the second wall to meet border police officials to have their case reviewed.

Return is impossible for many

“We pray to God that they will give us the opportunity to enter the country by appointment. We don’t want to enter illegally,” said a woman from Venezuela. The 55-year-old is afraid of being deported to her country. “We don’t have a plan B yet, but we don’t want to go back to Venezuela.”

The migrant shelters in Tijuana are full. The situation is similar in border towns such as Ciudad Juárez, where 40 migrants died in a fire at an INM assembly center in March. Thousands of people are also waiting for entry documents in the south of Mexico to legally travel north through the country. The local facilities caring for the migrants are preparing for the tough days – stocking up on water, blankets and medicines. (sda/dpa)