U.S. GOP Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas says he learned from Alejandro Giammattei, president of Guatemala, that over 80,000 migrants, primarily from Venezuela, are traveling toward the U.S.-Mexico border before Thursday’s expiration of Title 42.
President Giammattei also said he tried to call the White House about the matter, but no one would take his calls.
The news of the surge comes as several migrants continue to gather at the border ahead of the end of Title 42 on May 11. Title 42 is a public health order that has been in place since 2020 to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
After the order ends, an influx of migrants is expected to arrive at the southern border, believing they have a better chance of being admitted into the United States. However, the Biden administration has maintained that is not true.
The president and his team warn that penalties will be strengthened for those entering the country illegally and are encouraged to use broadened legal pathways instead. However, it has not stopped migrants from trying to cross into the U.S. illegally for freedom.
White House announced it was launching a “targeted enforcement operation” to process migrants
Monday, the Biden administration announced it was launching a “targeted enforcement operation” in El Paso, Texas, to process illegal immigrants and possibly deport them.
The operation is expected to be executed by officers and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a hotspot on the border for illegal migrant crossings.
Tuesday morning, illegal immigrants camping on the sidewalks in downtown El Paso said authorities with the CBP woke them up and handed them pamphlets urging them to turn themselves in.
Migrants lined up along the border in Brownsville, Texas, almost 800 south of El Paso. One man told a news agency the individual who gave him a pamphlet had a gun and a badge, but it wasn’t enough to frighten him. He said, “I’m not gonna turn myself in.”
In a video, one group of several hundred migrants could be seen illegally crossing the border, with more on their way.
Last week, President Biden’s administration announced 1,500 troops were being deployed to the border. It was also announced that migrant processing centers across Latin America were being established as part of a deal for Mexico to remove non-Mexican illegal migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the distribution of $332 million in funding to help local governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to help migrants who are released from custody.
Along with the additions, Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS Secretary, continues to maintain the border is not open and stresses migrants can face the consequences, including criminal prosecution and re-entry bans if they enter the U.S. illegally after Thursday.
