LA JOYA, Texas (ValleyCentral) – It has been 12 hours since Title 42 was lifted across the U.S.-Mexico border and the morning after has been quiet and calm.
New restrictions are now in place that the Biden administration hopes will try to stop the flow of migrants from crossing into the United States illegally and encourage them instead to apply for asylum online through a new process at 100 regional centers located throughout Central America.
On Friday morning, the surge of migrants expected at key locations in the Rio Grande Valley hasn’t surfaced yet.
QUIET IN LA JOYA
South of La Joya near the East Military Road, there’s a makeshift processing center for undocumented migrants.
Friday morning it is empty and quiet. That has been the case for most of this morning post Title 42.
A number of buses used to transport the migrants were in La Joya early this morning, but they have since left.
Throughout the areas of western Hidalgo County few migrants have been spotted. Normally they are seen crossing the Rio Grande and then turning themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Overnight, the areas near the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge were also very quiet.
At one-point federal agents stopped a maroon truck with dark tinted windows and several migrants inside. Agents say it turned out to be a case of attempted smuggling. The migrants were taken into the custody of the Border Patrol and the truck was towed away.
BROWNSVILLE STREETS EMPTY
The scene was similar in Brownsville.
Market Square in the middle of downtown, which was teeming with migrants gathered for a free meal on Thursday, was empty overnight. The Brownsville bus terminal on International Boulevard had migrants sleeping on the sidewalks.
Mayor Trey Mendez posted on Facebook that from midnight through 7 a.m., there were only 25 migrants who crossed the Gateway International Bridge in Browsville.
He said, “No surge. No issues.”
He also thanked Brownsville police and chief Felix Sauceda and the emergency management team for their work in being prepared for a much larger crowd.
“Today there are 245 appointments scheduled locally through the CBP One App and will be processed in an orderly manner. As stated by Secretary Mayorkas, those who do not have an appointment and cross illegally will be sent back via Title 8,” Mendez said.
The mayor also thanked CBP, Border Patrol, Chief Gloria Chavez and Port Director Tater Ortiz.
McALLEN OPENS PARK FOR MIGRANTS
The City of McAllen has activated Anzalduas Park to once again deal with the surge in migrant-asylum seekers.
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos will hold a news conference Friday afternoon to address questions regarding the operations, efforts to deal with a migrant surge, plus how the city will handle the migrants during this weekend’s storms.
