Fear and confusion, but not chaos, along the southern border after Title 42 ends
The pandemic-era policy nearly halted the processing of asylum applications. As Title 42 was lifted on Thursday, officials braced for an influx of migrants. But the reality was relatively calm.
After days of anticipation, there was a relative sense of calm, if also uncertainty, in the minutes and hours that followed the expiration of Title 42.
The pandemic-era policy severely limited immigration to the U.S., nearly halting the processing of asylum applications for over three years.
As the policy was formally lifted on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET, security officials were bracing for an unprecedented influx of migrants along the southern U.S. border — some estimates suggested as many as 150,000 migrants might arrive in the hopes of crossing over.
Instead, the number of border crossings remained steady, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Blas Nuñez-Neto.
"Overnight, we saw similar patterns to
