Migrants wait in a makeshift camp at the San Diego border wall as Title 42 expires
At the U.S.-Mexico border wall in San Diego near the Tijuana River, hundreds of migrants waited in a field as they try to seek asylum in America.
Issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 allowed authorities to turn away migrants despite any asylum claims to thwart the spread of the virus. That policy ended at 9 p.m. Thursday night.
Some asylum seekers at the Tijuana River Valley wall Thursday have been there for days while others just arrived, from all parts of the world: Ecuador, Turkey, Colombia and Southern Africa.
One man, his wife and sister walked for 45 days from Ecuador. Through the fence, he told KCALNews reporter Michele Gile that he's asking God to get him across the border and his dream is to get into the U.S. and go to New York.
And so they wait, huddled together, wrapped in thermal blankets hoping their asylum requests are granted. Most at the makeshift camp have been given wristbands to document their day of arrival into the United States and those with the green bands will be taken by officers to be processed.
Immigration attorney Mackenzie Mackins said they are entitled by law to go through the asylum process, but are not guaranteed an outcome, or result to stay in the U.S. "The hope would be that they present themselves, claim fear and then be allowed to be screened and go through the immigration process here in the United States," said Mackins
Those with credible asylum claims will be taken to a shelter or to a family member in the U.S. and will be tracked as they wait for their court hearing. If a person does not pass the asylum interview and does not establish a credible fear to necessitate asylum, they could be expelled immediately back to their home country.
"People are fleeing persecution. People have been harmed in their home countries…," said Mackins. "I think people in our community (Los Angeles) have a direct relationship with people seeking asylum at the border. We work with them in our community, our children go to school with them, and so we need to care as a society to help people at the border seeking asylum, to ensure a fair and humane, and just process for them to seek asylum here in the United States."
Since it was enacted by the Trump administration in March 2020, Title 42 has allowed the U.S. to expel migrants over 2.7 million times from the southern border, according to official government figures.
The Biden administration is also rolling out changes this week, in hopes to curb immigration, following the lifting of Title 42.
One key new policy change includes, migrants must prove they applied for asylum online or through another country first. Migrants will be ineligible for asylum in the U.S. if they didn't first seek refuge in a country they migrated through, like Mexico, on the way to the border.
Migrants who secure an appointment through the CBP One app will be exempt, according to officials. Migrants found ineligible for asylum by not following this process, face an "expedited removal," and a five-year ban from the U.S.
"As recent as yesterday (Wednesday) President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have announced changes in how people can apply for asylum at ports of entry. No one really knows how this will play out at the border in the days to come…," said Mackins.
Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas said "Our overall approach is to build lawful pathways for people to come to the United States and to impose tougher consequences on those who choose not to use those pathways."
