(NewsNation) — Since the expiration of Title 42, the U.S. is relying heavily on Title 8 to address migrant crossings at the southern border, and so far apprehensions have fallen from last week’s surge.
Over the past three days, Border Patrol agents have recorded 14,752 apprehensions — a 45% drop from the same time period a week earlier — according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz.
The number of suspected “gotaways” is also down, falling to 4,316 over the past 72 hours from 7,399 a week earlier. The drop in apprehensions is a sign the post-Title 42 migrant surge has yet to come to pass.
Under Title 8, migrants can once again apply for legal pathways to enter the U.S., but it can also lead to deportation. Unlike Title 42, deportation under Title 8 usually means an individual is banned from entering the U.S. for five years.
Over the weekend, CBP sources say 1,100 migrants were returned to Mexico under “voluntary removal” which means they are not ineligible for asylum and have not been banned for five years because they weren’t removed under Title 8.
One of the main differences between the two policies is Title 8 gives migrants more time to file asylum claims.
Federal and state officials were bracing for a massive surge of migrants crossing into the country after the lifting of the COVID-era border policy known as Title 42.
In Texas, officials anticipated up to 13,000 illegal crossings per day but the opposite has happened, and illegal crossings have plummeted since the restriction’s expiration, sources tell NewsNation.
Earlier this week, over 2,000 migrants were sleeping in the alleys and streets around Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas. Now, that number is down to a couple hundred.
In the days leading up to Title 42 lifting, the southern border has seen apprehension numbers spike past 10,000 for three straight days. Customs and Border Protection tells NewsNation that agents apprehended roughly 6,300 migrants on Friday, the first day after Title 42 was removed.
On Saturday, agents apprehended 4,300 migrants, a significant drop from apprehensions earlier in the week.
“There is a safe, lawful and orderly way to reach the United States and seek humanitarian relief. And that is through the lawful pathways that we have expanded. Under President Biden’s leadership,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, referring to the dropping numbers of apprehensions.
However, migrants now face tougher limitations for crossing illegally between the ports of entry under Title 8.
The use of Title 8 is not new. It was used prior to the Trump administration, but will now be the main authority when it comes to processing migrants.
The Texas National Guard set up miles-long barrier razor wires to prevent migrants from crossing illegally into El Paso, which also played a role in a decreased number of illegal crossings. Several migrants told NewsNation that human smugglers communicated to migrants that stricter asylum restrictions were coming after May 11, creating a pre-surge ahead of the lifting of Title 42.
Currently, there are about 10,000 migrants in Juarez, Mexico, who are afraid to cross illegally into the U.S. out of deportation fears, sources tell NewsNation.
Migrants wanting to come into the U.S. legally must schedule an asylum interview on the CBP One app, a notoriously difficult-to-use app.
