The controversial Title 42the norm that allowed the hot expulsion of migrants in the United States for public health reasons, has come to an end this Thursday at 9:59 p.m., time in the Texas border town of El Paso, where the authorities have raced against the clock to prepare for a greater flow of people.

Imposed during the Administration of Donald Trump, praised by Republicans, reviled by human rights activists and maintained by the Government of Joe Biden, despite criticism from his own party, the lifting of Title 42 has sparked rumors and a new political battle between progressives and conservatives.

Meanwhile, in front of the border fence between Mexico and the US, about 15 kilometers east of El Paso, this Thursday calm reigned. On the north side, journalists and Border Patrol agents remained posted. To the south of the wall, 5.5 meters high, some 400 refugees waited, between the fence and the Rio Grande, to be processed and transferred to the centers managed by the authorities.

At 3:15 p.m. the operation of the border agents began, moved the most vulnerable migrants, especially minors, in a bus and several vans. The head of the Border Patrol at the national level, Raúl Ortiz, pointed out that the operation would last 24 hours. A border agent insisted for his part that the priority had been to take the children, although he added that the mild temperature would not pose a danger to those who were still waiting.

“Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using legal avenues will be deemed ineligible for asylum. We stand ready to process and humanely remove those who have no legal basis to remain in the US,” he said. indicated the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who has warned about “the lies of human traffickers”: “The border is not open“, he clarified.

From Title 42 to Title 8

From now on, refugees entering the country will be subject to the Title 8, the norm that has historically governed migration in the North American country. In addition, the Biden Administration has announced new measures restricting access to the request for asylum at the border with Mexico.

These new measures consider “unfit” to request asylum to migrants who cross irregularly the border and that they have not requested protection in a third country during their journey to the US.

However, from the most ultra-conservative sector of the Republican Party Information has spread that the lifting of Title 42 supposes, in practice, a policy of open doors to migration. “While the President Biden opens the floodgates to more illegal immigrationTexas resists,” insisted the governor of that border state, Greg Abbott, this afternoon.

The Army will support surveillance work with 1,500 soldiers, the state has sent reinforcements from the National Guard and the city of El Paso has set up 4,500 beds to receive refugees who have passed the police screening and has collaborated with security agencies to evict a migrant camp that set up a few days ago around a church in the center of the city.