Migrant apprehensions explode days before Title 42 expires

Customs and Border Patrol reports apprehending more than 20,000 in two days
The pandemic-era immigration policy Title 42 is set to expire on Thursday
Cities on the southern border and away from the border have declared states of emergency

Updated: May 10, 2023 / 06:57 PM CDT

Migrants camp near the Sacred Heart Church in downtown El Paso, Texas on May 8, 2023. – The United States on May 11, 2023 will officially end its 40-month Covid-19 emergency — also discarding the Title 42 law, a tool that has been used to prevent millions of migrants from entering the country. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — The number of migrant apprehensions at the southern border has exploded in the past two days as agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector have been pulled from the field to assist with transport and processing, sources tell NewsNation.

On Tuesday, 10,480 were apprehended by the Customs and Border Patrol, the agency told NewsNation. On Monday, 10,169 individuals were apprehended. Over the weekend, CBP agents apprehended an average of 8,794 people a day.

In total, 47,031 people have been apprehended in the past five days, according to NewsNation sources. That number represents about 25% of all the apprehensions reported in March.

The dramatic influx comes as the pandemic-era immigration policy Title 42 is set to expire on Thursday. The policy allowed officials in the U.S. to turn away migrants in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

When Title 42 expires, the U.S. Department of Human Services will be required to process and detain anyone who enters the country without authorization.

Border towns such as Brownsville, El Paso and Laredo, along with cities away from the border including Chicago and New York City, have all declared states of emergency in anticipation of even more migrant crossings when Title 42 expires.