Strict new rules come into force at US-Mexico border as Title 42 immigration ban expires

Secretary of homeland security warns the border is not open' after thousands of migrants had crossed onto US soil, hoping to be processed before midnight

The US has ended Covid-19 border restrictions that blocked many migrants at the border with Mexico, immediately replacing the so-called Title 42 restrictions with sweeping new asylum rules meant to deter illegal crossings.

Secretary of homeland security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said on Thursday evening that 24,000 border patrol agents and officers had been sent to the border to enforce US laws, adding the border is not open".