1 year ago
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MATAMOROS, Mexico (AP) — In Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, migrants arrived steadily, shedding clothing before descending a steep bank at the Rio Grande, 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 immediately surrendered to authorities, hoping to be released to stay legally while pursuing their cases in backlogged immigration courts, which takes years.
Migrants hoping to gain entry into the U.S. were rushing over the U.S.-Mexico border in the waning hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 were on the brink of expiring, fearing that stricter new policies would make it far more difficult after 11:59 p.m. EDT Thursday.
The Biden administration has been unveiling strict new measures to replace Title 42, which has allowed border officials since March 2020 to quickly return migrants seeking asylum back over the border, on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
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