12 May 2023 , 21:43
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The US Embassy has issued a travel alert for hopeful holidaymakers wanting to cross into Mexico as the expiration of Covid era rule sends the border into chaos.
Thousands of migrants rushed to cross into the US before Title 42 rules expired at midnight last night. Families were seen trying to swim across the Rio Grande before picking their way through hastily erected barbed wire as US border guards turned back those they could.
The warning from the Embassy warned: "With the expected end of the Centers for Disease Control’s temporary Title 42 public order, at 11.59 pm EDT on May 11, land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border may experience delays and disruptions.
An armed border guard stands by barbed wire near El Paso (Mark Otte/Texas Army National Guard/UPI/REX/Shutterstock)"Title 42 is the public health order that applies to migrants without proper travel documents. US citizens should plan for longer-than-usual wait times, possible closures, and other potential disruptions to travel at land ports of entry."
Title 42 of a 1944 public health law allows curbs on migration in the name of protecting public health.
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It was brought in by the Trump administration during the Covid-19 pandemic in an attempt to stop the virus spreading.
It has allowed US authorities to quickly expel migrants at the border for the past three years.
Border Patrol agents move through a crowd of migrants that have waited between two border walls for days to apply for asylum (Gregory Bull/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The rules brought in to replace it could mean those turned away from the border could face criminal prosecution if they attempt again within five years.
Tens of thousands of migrants are believed to have tried to cross before the law expired, sending the border region into chaos.
Travellers are being warned by the Embassy to:
- Monitor local media for the latest updates on traffic delays and in case of emergency call 911.
- Avoid crowds and demonstrations.
- Make sure your vehicle is in good working condition and has adequate fuel for long traffic delays.
A group of 50 migrants wait outside a Mexican immigration office (AP)- Travel with water, snacks, and essential medications in case of long traffic delays or an inability of medical personnel to immediately reach you in an emergency.
- Review your personal security plans and follow the instructions of local authorities."
This comes as authorities confirmed a migrant child has died in a migrant centre in Florida.
The 17-year-old Honduran named Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza died in U.S. government custody in a shelter in Safety Harbor, Florida.
The debris left over from the rush before the rules changed (AP)Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Reina called for an "exhaustive investigation" into the death.
"The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is deeply saddened by this tragic loss and our heart goes out to the family, with whom we are in touch," a spokesperson said.
Biden has said his administration was working to make the rule change orderly. “But it remains to be seen,” he told reporters. “It’s going to be chaotic for a while.”
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