Migrant flows to the El Paso-Juárez Borderland decrease

The number of migrants arriving in the El Paso-Juárez area appears to have decreased significantly following a surge at the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions last Thursday night.

Juárez Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar said that the flow of migrants arriving in his border city has dropped considerably, even by more than 50%.

"The flow of migrants has decreased a lot and everything is completely under control," Perez Cuellar said Monday in a statement, while also cautioning that things could change in the coming days and weeks.

Previously: El Paso border sees surge of migrants as Title 42 ends: recap

The migrant shelter in the Kiki Romero municipal gym was at 30% capacity, the mayor said. About 40 migrants still remain in a makeshift tent encampment in front of the Juárez City Hall.

Juárez authorities continue monitoring freight trains for the possible arrival of migrant groups headed to the United States.

There had been fears that overwhelming numbers of migrants would inundate the border when Title 42 restrictions finished with the formal end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Instead, it appears the rush took place in the weeks leading up to the end of Title 42.

Migrants now unlawfully crossing the border could face deportation, yearslong bans and the loss of an opportunity for asylum, U.S. authorities have warned.

Since last week, the number of asylum-seekers waiting in Juárez had been declining after crowds of hundreds crossed the Rio Grande to turn themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso in the hope of getting asylum.

In El Paso, the number of daily migrant encounters reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection was at 626, compared with 1,700 encounters Saturday, according to the Tuesday daily update on the city's migrant crisis dashboard.

On Tuesday, CBP had more than 4,900 migrants in custody, according to city statistics. There had been 521 daily community releases and 160 migrants housed at the city's temporary shelter at the vacant Bassett Middle School.

Other migrants who were processed and released from custody went to shelters run by churches, charities and nongovernmental organizations before heading to their destination cities in the U.S. interior. There are still some migrants taking refuge around Sacred Heart Church in the Segundo Barrio.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Migrant flows to El Paso, Juárez border decrease post-Title 42