El Paso braces for end of pandemic-era rules restricting migration from Mexico

Tens of thousands of migrants are expected to cross the border once Title 42 rules expire, overwhelming support services

The Texas border city of El Paso has declared a state of emergency ahead of the Biden administration's ending of Title 42 pandemic-related rules next week that, since 2020, have barred many migrants from crossing into the US to exercise their right to request asylum.

City leaders are preparing for a potential influx of more than 35,000 asylum seekers currently stuck in the Mexican sister city of Juarez, after the scheduled 11 May lifting of the emergency public health regulation that was meant to curb the spread of Covid-19 but had severe consequences for hundreds of thousands fleeing to the US from crises in their home countries.