NPR

Here's what to expect in the U.S. as Title 42 ends for asylum-seekers

The pandemic restrictions allowed for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border. Now that it's being lifted some officials are expecting a record influx and an impending humanitarian crisis.
Texas National Guard troops set up razor wire in El Paso, Texas. Officials are anticipating a wave of immigrants on Thursday night, with the end of the U.S. government's COVID-era Title 42 policy.

As Title 42 is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, security officials are bracing for what could be an unprecedented influx of migrants seeking asylum along the southern border.

The COVID-era public health emergency measure allowed for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border and nearly halted the processing of asylum applications for more than three years.

Once Title 42 is lifted, the tens of thousands of people who have been waiting in Mexico after fleeing from violence, poverty and political instability will be subject to decades-old immigration protocols known as Title 8.

Under those laws, individuals can no longer be turned

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