House passes border security bill as Title 42 expires

The House on Thursday on passed a Republican-backed bill that would restart construction on the border wall and mandate a staffing level for Border Patrol agents, among other measures of border security. Democratic senators have already said they won’t let the bill pass. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said he plans to introduce legislation to streamline and speed up the asylum application process. Thousands of migrants crossed the border Wednesday ahead of Title 42’s expiration at midnight Thursday.

What happens when Title 42 expires? Title 42 is a pandemic-era rule that allowed border patrol to expel some migrants before they could seek asylum. It’s expiring with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Starting Friday, Border Patrol will begin screening people under Title 8, which requires border patrol agents to process asylum claims. A Title 8 removal creates a paper trail barring the migrant from reentry within five years. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Bonnie Pritchett’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Texas communities preparing for a surge in illegal immigrant crossings.