The end of the Title 42 came and went without an immediate influx of migrants here, defying predictions of local and federal officials. More than a day after the pandemic-era law lifted, it remained to be seen what lay in store for many migrants and the border towns where they reside, however temporarily.
In total, Border Patrol apprehended just over 6,200 undocumented migrants crossing the border on Friday, the first day after Title 42 was lifted, two Homeland Security officials told NBC News on Saturday. That figure was lower than the 11,000 apprehended each day on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the 10,000 apprehended on Thursday.
The mayor of El Paso said Friday that “we have not seen any big numbers” as compared to last week.
Multiple migrants still in El Paso said that the reason for the decrease in those crossing could be due to rapidly spread online rumors and a whisper network in Juárez, Mexico, saying that the time to cross was ahead of Title 42’s end. They said they feared their best chance to come to the U.S. was about to expire.
“There was a lot of talk that after the end of Title 42 it was going to be very difficult to come into the United States,” said Rosa, 30, who had traveled from Venezuela.
Rosa, her husband and their three young children had recently arrived at the Rescue Mission shelter, where about 220 migrants were staying as of Thursday night. The family had turned themselves in to immigration authorities to seek asylum about a week earlier.
As she spoke, Rosa’s 6- and 9-year-old sons played around circular tables where dozens of migrants had gathered to eat dinner together. The brothers ran over to explore a piano, their experimental music and laughter filling the air. In a nearby room, her 2-year-old daughter slept under her father’s watchful eye.
Rosa, who asked that her full name not be used for fear of immigration reprisal, said she and other migrants were very afraid of possible punishments under Title 8, the section of U.S. law that was in place before Title 42 and is now being enforced again in its absence.
Under Title 8, those who repeatedly attempt to enter the U.S. illegally face penalties, including a potential five-year ban and criminal prosecution. Title 42 had suspended those penalties, which led to an increase in the number of people who repeatedly crossed the border after they had been expelled.
“At the end of Title 42, that would be eliminated, and so that was the fear, not being able to come and turn yourself in,” she said.
Juan José Rivera, 25, a Colombian migrant staying in the area outside Sacred Heart church, said fear of deportation and punishment “motivated a lot of people to turn themselves in.”
“Sadly, a lot of us were still turned away. But thank God, we were allowed to come legally,” said Rivera, who wore sneakers with bright turquoise laces and carried a clear plastic bag containing his immigration documents.
Around the church on the morning after Title 42 ended, migrants discussed the fate of others who turned themselves in to authorities earlier in the week, ate doughnuts handed out by a fellow migrant and lined up along a wall to use portable toilets.
“In Juarez, there were a lot of murmurs that we would get deported after May 11,” said Elienny Mavarez, a 20-year-old Venezuelan who was staying at the Opportunity Shelter for the Homeless. “A lot of people were scared because it cost us a lot to get here.”
In recent days, there were as many as 3,300 migrants outside of the center and a local church. That number has largely dissipated after hundreds turned themselves in for processing this week ahead of Title 42 ending, urged by authorities who handed out flyers in areas where the migrants were camped.
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