A massive surge of illegal migrants is expected to overwhelm the US southern border after the Trump-era public health emergency order known as Title 42 - which allowed the US government to turn away illegal immigrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19 - is set to expire on May 11.
"We will by May 11 finalize the rule that we published in a proposed format that provides that individuals who do not access our lawful pathways will be presumed to be ineligible for asylum and will have a higher burden of proof to overcome that presumption of ineligibility," Mayorkas said during a press conference in Brownsville, Texas.
Mayorkas underscored that the US southern border is not open and will not be open subsequent to the end of Title 42 on Thursday.
Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security has been surging resources, personnel, transportation capabilities, airplanes to facilitate a greater number of deportations every week, Mayorkas added.
The Biden administration, Mayorkas said, distributed an additional $330 million to border communities and non-profit organizations working to address the border crisis.
US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz noted during the press conference that the 1,500 active-duty troops being deployed to the US-Mexico border in the coming days will be based in El Paso, Texas.
An all-time record number of migrants have arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, exceeding 2.3 million people. In fiscal year 2023, the US authorities said they have encountered more than 1.2 million migrants.