Uncertainty as COVID-era US border rules expire May 12

EL PASO— Pandemic- era rules that have allowed US border guards to summarily expel hundreds of thousands of would-be asylum-seekers expired Friday, setting up an uncertain future for migrants and inflaming America’s always- churning immigration debate.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to try to cross into the United States over the coming days, hoping to escape the poverty and criminal gangs that wrack their own countries.

But to avoid a surge, President Joe Biden’s administration has put in place rules that raise the bar for anyone claiming refuge.

“Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a lawful pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

“We have 24,000 Border Patrol Agents and officers at the Southwest Border and have surged thousands of troops and contractors, and over a thousand asylum officers to help enforce our laws.”

For more than three years the 2,000-mile ( 3,200- kilometer) frontier with Mexico has been regulated by Title 42, a health provision put in place to keep Covid infections at bay by refusing people entry.

But with the formal ending of the health emergency, that rule expired at midnight East Coast time (0400 GMT).

Asylum claims are now permitted again but must in most cases be lodged before arriving at the border -- on pain of rapid expulsion.

Asylum- seekers are required to book interviews via a smartphone app -though users report it is glitchy and presents a hurdle for those without working phones or wifi.