YORK, Pa. — Title 42 is expiring at midnight on Friday, potentially impacting the lives of thousands of migrants sitting across the US-Mexico border. The policy was first implemented during the Trump presidency in March 2020.
FOX43 spoke with one migrant about his experience coming over to the U.S. from Mexico. He asked not to have his identity revealed.
"My wife and myself, and my two young babies are victims," the man said. "I had to run to this country. And thank God, He gave me the opportunity to get here through His mercy from heaven."
Title 42 is a name of an emergency health authority. It allowed U.S. officials to deny migrants entry into the country on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The man FOX43 spoke with says he’s now waiting on new immigration policies to bring his son to Pennsylvania.
"I'm waiting on Biden to create a program that would allow him to come legally," said the man. "I don't want to bring him through Mexico because I'm afraid he will lose his life."
“The Biden administration does seem to be interested in continuing to make it difficult for asylum seekers to exercise their legal right to ask for asylum," said Jill Family.
Family is a law professor at Widener University. She says the Biden administration is putting new measures in place of Title 42. This includes launching a new app for migrants to schedule an appointment with border agents to ask for asylum.
“The problem is that the app has been tested and users report that [it] doesn’t work very well, and there aren’t enough appointment slots available," Family told FOX43.
Migrants could make their way to Pennsylvania, as states like Texas bus asylum seekers across the country.
“You’ll see cities like Philadelphia, who will be organizing to welcome these individuals so that they have a place to be," said Family.
Amid the changes in policy, this man hopes to have his family reunited in York. "Everyone in my country dreams of coming to the U.S. because they want to change their lives financially."