(11 May 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Matamoros, Mexico - 10 May 2023
1. Various of migrants crossing Rio Grande towards US border
2. Various of man carrying baby inside suitcase above his head
3. Migrants carrying plastic bags with belongings, US National Guard officers behind barbed wire
4. Various of migrants crossing Rio Grande
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Wiljen Díaz, Venezuelan migrant:
"Why didn't I wait for an appointment? Because tomorrow is the 11th and they say that after the 11th we won't be able to go in. That's why people are in such a hurry. No one can say for sure, but we have to get ahead of things."
6. Various of Colombian migrant Mirella Vallares being pushed in wheelchair
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mirella Vallares, Colombian migrant:
"Well we're all going to take a chance, we'll see. We are all going swimming there. So we're all going to risk it and see what happens."
8. Various of Vallares being helped down towards bank and across Rio Grand
STORYLINE:
Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire on Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States.
In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told to begin releasing some migrants with instructions to appear at an immigration office in the United States within 60 days, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal order.
The Biden administration has been unveiling measures to replace Title 42, which suspended rights to seek asylum since March 2020 on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the Homeland Security Department announced a rule to make it extremely difficult for anyone who travels through another country, like Mexico, to qualify for asylum.
It is also introducing curfews with GPS tracking for families released in the U.S. before initial asylum screenings.
In Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, migrants arrived steadily on Wednesday, stripping down before descending a steep bank clutching plastic bags filled with clothes.
They slowly waded into the river, one man holding a baby in an open suitcase on his head.
On the U.S. side, they put on dry clothing and picked their way through concertina wire.
Many surrendered to authorities, hoping to be released to stay legally while pursuing their cases in backlogged immigration courts, which takes years.
The Border Patrol stopped about 10,000 migrants on Tuesday, one of its busiest days ever, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
That's nearly double the daily average of about 5,200 in March, the latest publicly available data, and close to the 11,000 that U.S. officials have predicted is the upper limit of a surge they anticipate after Title 42.
More than 27,000 people were in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody, the official said, well above capacity.
In March 8,600 were in custody.
Border Patrol agents were ordered to begin releasing migrants in any border sector that reached 125% of its holding capacity with instructions to report to an immigration office within 60 days, the U.S. official said.
They were also told to start the releases if the average time in custody exceeded 60 hours or if 7,000 migrants were taken into custody across the entire border in any one day.
While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts.
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