Security drill on the US-Mexico border prior to the end of Title 42, the rule that allows 'hot returns'

A security drill was carried out on Wednesday night at the international port of San Ysidro, by agents of the National Guard and the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office, which could be seen clearly from the Mexican side in the city of Tijuana.

The security exercise was carried out prior to the completion of Title 42 in US territory, this to measure their ability to close access in the event of an emergency, that is, an attempted mass land crossing of migrants.

Uncertainty on the United States-Mexico border grows hours before the end, this Thursday, of Title 42, a measure adopted by Donald Trump (2017-2021) and later continued by President Joe Biden to expel migrants on the grounds of the coronavirus pandemic. covid-19, an emergency declaration that is about to end in the US

At the intersection from Tijuana to San Diego, the agents were deployed in lanes 28 to 34, where they carried out various containment maneuvers, also threw several gas bombs and during the approximately six minutes that the deployment lasted, some detonations were also heard.

On May 5, border agents also carried out a similar drill, as they hope that with the completion of Title 42, dozens of migrants will arrive by land to seek humanitarian asylum on US soil.

According to CBP, these actions are carried out with the intention of inhibiting attempts to cross by undocumented persons.

After the end of Title 42, the US authorities have indicated that the application of Title 8 will continue, which states that “individuals and families who arrive without authorization may be deported and non-citizens may be deported to their country of origin.”

Just on May 2, the government headed by Joe Biden announced that as of May 10, 1,500 soldiers would be deployed along the border with Mexico and at the request of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to support the agents of the CBP.

The region is facing an unprecedented migratory flow, with more than 2.76 million undocumented immigrants intercepted by the United States at the border with Mexico in fiscal year 2022.