Title 42 Expires Thursday, Thousands Expected to Flood US Southern Border

As the COVID-era immigration policy known as Title 42 comes to an end, experts fear the border crisis will only get worse. 

During the 2020 campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden promised to remove Title 42. Now, that it's set to expire Thursday, the federal government has sent 1.500 troops to the border, hoping to help contain the expected surge. 

David Bier, associate director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute told CBN News the whole situation is extremely "chaotic and disorganized."

"The administration is planning on 10,000 migrants arriving each day, some say it could be even higher than that," he said. 

Under Title 42, authorities quickly expelled migrants almost 3 million times, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Often, those that crossed and were sent back to Mexico tried again. 

"To the individuals themselves who are thinking of migrating, do not believe the smugglers," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Mayorkas said he sees "extremely challenging" circumstances along the Mexico border. Come Friday, the new rules will allow 1,000 migrants per day to be processed for asylum. 

Bier notes that number is only 10 percent of the migrants expected to flood across the border each day. 

"So they're more or less saying, we're going to process 1,000 and everyone else, 'you're going to have to go cross illegally,'" he said. "And that's what's going to happen. And it's going to be a chaotic couple of weeks." 

Bier predicts a bit of sleigh-of-hand to ease the chaos.

"So, the goal of the administration's policy is to replicate Title 42 under immigration laws," he explained. "I don't think we'll see much of a difference from after Title 42, compared to before Title 42, in terms of policy."

Large groups of migrants are already staged in Mexico, ready to cross with nothing except the clothes on their backs. As pressure mounts along the border, some fear there will be violence against migrants. 

On Sunday, Texas police say Georg Alvarez ran a red light and killed 8 Venezuelan immigrants outside of a prominent migrant center. 

Alvarez is charged with 8 counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Bier recalls the incident as being horrific, explaining this type of situation will perpetuate as immigrants are painted as criminals rather than desperate for a new way of life. 

"It's inevitable as people continue to describe them as invaders rather than people seeking safety and opportunity in our country," he said. 

The White House is prepping for the influx of migrants by expanding holding facilities and adding immigration officers while pointing fingers at Republicans for a system that's been broken for decades.

"But Congress refuses to act. Instead, many Republicans want to make a political case out of this," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. "They're not looking to meet us at the table. They want to turn this into a political stunt." 

The Border Patrol reports apprehending 26,000 migrants in just 72 hours this week. In addition to sending troops, the White House will be expanding holding facilities and will add immigration officers to help process asylum seekers.