U.S.-Mexico border crossings decline after end of Title 42

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – Now that the COVID-era border restriction known as Title 42 officially has officially ended, migrants are crossing the border under a new set of rules created by the Biden administration.

Monday morning, the Biden administration defended its decision to end the Trump-era pandemic policy that allowed authorities to swiftly turn back migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said they’ve seen a 50% drop in the number of encounters at the border compared to a record 10,000 migrants a day when the policy first expired Thursday.

“The numbers that we have experienced over the past two days are markedly down,” Mayorkas said.

Under the new Biden rules, migrants seeking asylum must first seek it in another country. Then they can schedule an appointment on a new CBP app before entering a port of entry. If they cross illegally, they could be barred from seeking asylum in the U.S. for at least five years.

Still, thousands of migrants have been flooding into the country each day, severely overcrowding detention facilities in border cities.

Some migrants are living on the streets in cities like El Paso, Texas.

Meanwhile, busloads of migrants keep arriving in northern cities, sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to areas with more liberal immigration policies amid a political standoff.

In New York, many hotels are now being turned into shelters. One couple even informed the 37 rooms they booked at another hotel for their wedding party had to be canceled.

In Chicago, local officials are also scrambling to house migrants.

Byron Sigcho-Lopez, alderman of Chicago’s 25th ward, said, “More people are coming, and we just don’t know how many.”

A humanitarian crisis at the border is now boiling over nationwide.

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