On Thursday, the federal Covid-19 public health emergency declaration will officially end. With it comes the end of Title 42, an immigration restriction policy implemented by the Trump Administration to quickly expel migrants during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, GOP leaders have been up in arms, pleading with President Biden to reverse his decision to end the policy. But a growing number of immigration workers and volunteers are expecting a challenge, too, as they prepare for a surge in migration at the southern border. “No matter how much we are prepared, I don’t think we are going to be prepared enough,” said John Martin, deputy director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso, Texas. “This is a national issue. We in El Paso, along with many other communities along the southern border, just happened to be at the front doorstep.” With around 7,000 daily encounters, border patrol officials have already seen a rise in migrants ahead of Title 42’s end. Contrary to what Kyrsten Sinema says, federal officials say they’re prepared. “I do not want to understate the severity of the challenge that we expect to encounter,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who added: “We have a plan. We are executing on that plan.”
