(NewsNation) — Border communities and agents are bracing for an increase in immigration as they make preparations for Title 42 to end in December.
The COVID-19-pandemic-era public health policy allowed immigration officials to turn away migrants at the border, including those seeking asylum, to curb the spread of the highly contagious virus.
Customs and Border Patrol has put Troy Miller back into the role of commissioner after his boss Chris Magnus was forced to resign last week.
Agents told NewsNation that Miller is stepping back into a dangerous situation, predicting chaos when Title 42 ends.
A federal judge last week blocked the COVID-19 pandemic-era public health policy. That same judge issued another order Wednesday granting a stay — that is, a period of time before his previous order takes effect.
DHS now has until Dec. 21 to transition away from Title 42 and send additional resources to the border.
On Monday, migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba stayed at tent camps along the border in El Paso, waiting out a Washing, D.C. federal judge’s temporary stay of the policy’s rollback.
Meanwhile, some migrants continue to self-surrender to Border Patrol agents in El Paso despite the risk of being expelled under Title 42.
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto said that ending Title 42 sends a clear message to smuggling organizations that they now can flood any area at the border.
“As horrific as it sounds, it’s handing the keys to the front door of America to the drug cartels to do as they wish because when they start flooding one area, they put agents in a position where they have to do the administrative work,” Del Cueto said. “And now there’s so many gaps on our southern border and that’s when the drug cartels will take advantage of bringing their drugs across because there’s nobody there to stop them.”
In an effort to enhance security, Border Patrol has doubled the hiring incentive from 10,000 to 20,000 new recruits. Agents recently have had to shift their focus toward processing and transporting migrants rather than patrolling the border, officials told NewsNation.
Border Patrol said in a statement this week its processing centers in El Paso are at capacity and agents might need to contact other sectors for help.
The Yuma, Arizona sector also is dealing with a steady influx of migrant encounters, with more than 500 additional people than usual crossing the border.