A month since Title 42's end in Arizona: What's changed, what hasn't, what's to come?
PHOENIX - It’s been a month since the public health order known as Title 42 was lifted, and since then, the Department of Homeland Security says illegal crossings at the southern border have taken a dip.
A surge that was expected when the order ended never came, but those living in border communities say they’re preparing for a busy summer.
Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls has seen a lot of change during his nine years in office, but one priority that always remains constant is how to tackle border-related crimes and crossings.
"I do believe that the numbers are going to continue to come up. I think they are going to come up slowly, but I think that they are going to continue," Nicholls says.
On May 12, Title 42 was lifted, and Title 8, which has been used for decades, takes priority and might be deterring people as it creates harsher penalties and quicker removal for illegal crossers.
"The cartels are trying to figure out the new system," Nicholls said.
Title 42 ends: Here's what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing
The U.S. is putting new restrictions into place at its southern border to try to stop migrants from crossing illegally and encourage them instead to apply for asylum online through a new process.
Nationwide in the last month, DHS says border patrol has encountered around 3,400 people illegally crossing in between ports of entry every day, which is actually down by more than 70%.
Nicholls says it’s a temporary relief.
"The numbers of people coming across right now have been in the 300-400 range. We are starting to see that tick up from there a little bit. We are back up to 450, so we were probably maxing out at about 1,200 to 1,500 during Title 42, but the numbers are starting to move again," Nicholls said.
The day after Title 42 expired, border patrol made a one-time release of 280 migrants to the streets of Yuma due to the lack of capacity in detention centers. Since then, they've been releasing people to non-governmental and non-profit organizations which often take the majority to other cities and states.
From May 12 to June 2, DHS says they’ve deported more than 38,400 non-citizens under Title 8, including single adults and families, to more than 80 countries.
Migrants rush across Mexico border into US in final hours before Title 42 expires
Migrants are rushing across the Mexico border in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted.
Meanwhile, thousands of others are being detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assess their asylum claims.
"In this lull, I am focusing on putting a hard plan in place so should the numbers come to the point of border patrol releasing to the streets again, we will have a plan to enact," Nicholls explained. "What I am looking at for our federal and state partners to put that plan in place."
Again, the mayor is expecting numbers to rise this summer, which is of course the worst time for these asylum seekers to make the dangerous journey.
In fact, last year alone, a record 70 people died from the heat in Yuma County.