BOISE, Idaho — Title 42 will expire and stricter rules for entering the U.S. will take effect late Thursday. This has also opened the door to a surge in migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. before the change takes effect.
In March 2020, Title 42 was put in place during the pandemic by the Trump Administration to prevent migrants from seeking asylum as a way to stop the spread of Covid-19.
At 9:59 Mountain Time this Thursday, Title 42 comes to an end by order of current President, Joe Biden. Just hours away from that rule going away as many as 10,000 migrants will be ready and waiting at the border.
Locally, Immigrant Justice Idaho says the border may be a thousand miles away but the impact will be felt by Idahoans.
"Those individual's family members, and community members of individuals living in Idaho, will be subjected to this system," Maria Andrade, Executive Director of Immigrant Justice
Andrade says that overall, the lifting of Title 42 is positive, but the new system in place might still make it hard for migrants seeking asylum.
"The information we got about the app [to apply for asylum] is that it's only for Venezuelans to ask to come across as refugees," said Marcela Aguilar, a migrant from Colombia.
The app is actually set to help all migrants seeking to enter the U.S. legally. But with many of them waiting at the border with nothing but just a few belongings, using the app has become a challenge.
"There are many people who are trying to use the CBP One app but just can't do it," said Pedro Rios, American Friends Service Committee.
According to sources familiar with the plan, the Biden Administration is preparing a memo for customs and border protection telling them to begin releasing migrants into the United States without court dates or the ability to track them. This comes after more than 11,000 migrants were caught crossing the border earlier this week.
