Migrants seeking asylum cross into the US

A migrant from Venezuela camps outside the Mision Guerreros de Jehova Christian church in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 28, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Venezuelan Moises Carillo, 31, covers himself with a blanket outside the Mision Guerreros de Jehova Christian church in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 28, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Venezuelan migrants seeking asylum hold blankets donated by the Red Cross on the banks of the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 28, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

A Venezuelan migrant hugs a blanket and a change of clothes on the edge of the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 28, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Agents of the Border Patrol transfer Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migrants after crossing the Rio Grande river from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, US, to ask for political asylum on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

A migrant helps two Venezuelan children to cross the Rio Grande river from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, US, in search of political asylum on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Venezuelan migrant George, 5, stands by the bars of the border wall holding a Captain America action figure while staying with his family on the Rio Grande river in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

A Venezuelan migrant girl holds a doll while walking on the banks of the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

A Nicaraguan family crosses the Rio Grande river from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, US, to ask for political asylum on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Venezuelan migrant George, 5, plays with a Captain America action figure while staying with his family on the Rio Grande river in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 27, 2022. - The US government's two-year-old policy of invoking Covid-19 precautions to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants at the Mexican border will remain in place, for now, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision to uphold the controversial rule known as Title 42 stemmed from a looming political crisis for President Joe Biden, as thousands waited at the southern border in expectation the policy was about to end.

Fernando Fernie Quiroz, director of the AZ-CA Humanitarian Coalition, picks up litter along the US-Mexico fence near Somerton, Arizona, on December 25, 2022. Quiroz visits locations along the border every morning to provide humanitarian aid to asylum-seekers and clean up trash left behind.

US Border Patrol agents process asylum-seekers in San Luis, Arizona, on December 25, 2022. The United States is seeing a rapidly rising number of asylum-seekers turning themselves in at the US-Mexico border in anticipation of the lifting of Title 42, a pandemic-era policy used to bar migrants from entering the US. The Supreme Court will reach a decision on Title 42 after Christmas.

Asylum-seekers await processing at the US-Mexico border in San Luis, Arizona, on December 25, 2022.

Venezuelan migrants prepare for relocation to a refugee shelter in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Migrants from Venezuela prepare for relocation to a refugee shelter in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Migrants from Venezuela prepare to relocate to a refugee shelter in Matamoros, Mexico on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

A migrant from Venezuela drinks a hot coffee amid cold weather at a makeshift camp along the Rio Grande riverbank on the U.S.-Mexico Border in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Migrants from Venezuela prepare for relocation to a refugee shelter in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

A migrant from Venezuela builds a campfire amid cold weather at a makeshift camp along the Rio Grande riverbank on the U.S.-Mexico Border in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Migrants from Venezuela prepare to relocate to a refugee shelter in Matamoros, Mexico on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Jose Quintero, a migrant from Venezuela suffering from hypothermia, is evacuated from a makeshift camp on in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting along the U.S.-Mexico border on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

A young migrant from Venezuela lines up in the cold weather for a hot drink and food from volunteers at a makeshift camp on the U.S.-Mexico border in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

A migrant stands in the cold weather at a makeshift camp on the U.S.-Mexico border in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Migrants from Venezuela drink hot coffee amid cold weather at a makeshift camp along the Rio Grande riverbank on the U.S.-Mexico Border in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Migrants are waiting on a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on asylum restrictions.

Guests at the Buen Samaritano shelter for migrants attend a candle lighting ceremony at the shelter's small Methodist church in anticipation of Christmas in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, across from El Paso, Texas, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Tens of thousands of migrants who fled violence and poverty will spend Christmas in crowded shelters or on the dangerous streets of Mexican border towns. The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court not to lift pandemic-era restrictions on asylum-seekers before the holiday weekend.

In this photo provided by Father Brian Strassburger, a mother holds her daughter as they swing at a piñata as other migrants at the shelter line up at the Casa del Migrante shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Tens of thousands of migrants who fled violence and poverty will spend Christmas in crowded shelters or on the dangerous streets of Mexican border towns.

Venezuelan migrants crowd around an outdoor bonfire as temperatures plummet in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Pastor Elias Rodriguez of Casa Nueva Voz greets immigrants as they seek refuge from winter weather in a shelter near the U.S. border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Migrants seek refuge from winter weather in a crowded shelter near the U.S. border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Migrants seek refuge from winter weather in a crowded shelter near the U.S. border with Mexico in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Venezuelan migrants crowd around an outdoor bonfire as temperatures plummet in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hundreds of migrants are gathered in unusually frigid cold temperatures along the Mexican-U.S. border near El Paso, Texas, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Colombian immigrant Gisele, 18, bundles up against the cold after spending the night camped alongside the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Dec. 22, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. A spike in the number of migrants seeking asylum in the United States has challenged local, state, and federal authorities. The numbers are expected to increase as the fate of the Title 42 authority to expel migrants remains in limbo pending a Supreme Court decision expected after Christmas.

Immigrants bundle up against the cold after spending the night camping alongside the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Dec. 22, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. A spike in the number of migrants seeking asylum in the United States has challenged local, state, and federal authorities. The numbers are expected to increase as the fate of the Title 42 authority to expel migrants remains in limbo pending a Supreme Court decision expected after Christmas.

Migrants, including Blaidimar, 8, from Venezuela, warm themselves by a fire outside the U.S.-Mexico border fence while waiting to make asylum claims in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

Migrants queue at the border wall to be received by Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Bravo river (or Rio Grande river, as it is called in the US) from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, US on Dec. 21, 2022. - Title 42, a President Donald Trump pandemic-era law that authorizes United States border officials to expel migrants, is supposed to end on Dec. 21.

Migrants climb the bank of the Rio Grande to join hundreds of others lined up along the U.S.-Mexico border fence to apply for asylum in the United States on Dec. 21, 2022, as viewed from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

Migrants spend the night outside, along the U.S.-Mexico border fence, waiting to make asylum claims on Dec. 21, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

Migrants spend the night outside along the U.S.-Mexico border fence while waiting to make asylum claims in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

A migrant is carried to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to make her asylum claim in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

Texas National Guard troops unroll coils of concertina wire near the U.S.-Mexico border on Dec. 21, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 400 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, which is under a state of emergency due to a surge of migrants crossing from Mexico into the city. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if the pandemic-era Title 42 regulation is lifted.

A Customs and Border Protection agent speaks to a migrant that had crossed the Rio Grande and approached the Texas National Guard to enquire when they will be allowed to be processed by Customs and Border Protection to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022.

Migrants crossed the Rio Grande and approach the Texas National Guard to enquire when they will be allowed to be processed by Customs and Border Protection to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022.

Migrants cross and line up on the north bank of the Rio Grande on Dec. 19, 2022 to turn themselves into Border Patrol agents for processing and a chance to remain in the U.S. to seek asylum.

Migrants crossed the Rio Grande and approach the Texas National Guard to enquire when they will be allowed to be processed by Customs and Border Protection to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022.

Migrants cross the razor fence placed by elements of the Texas National Guard on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, US. border with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 20, 2022. - Title 42, a President Donald Trump pandemic-era law that authorizes United States border officials to expel migrants, is supposed to end on Dec. 21.

On Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, a man stands along the border fence in Tijuana, Mexico. The U.S. government made its plea in a filing a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order to keep the pandemic-era limits on migrants in place.

Russian migrant family members stand by the border with the U.S. Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Tijuana, Mexico. The U.S. government made its plea in a filing a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order to keep the pandemic-era limits on migrants in place.

Texas National Guard stands guard on the north bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022. The National Guard was deployed by Texas Governor Abbott in response to large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in El Paso.

Texas National Guard stands guard on the north bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022. The National Guard was deployed by Texas Governor Abbott in response to large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in El Paso.

Texas National Guard stands guard on the north bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 20, 2022. The National Guard was deployed by Texas Governor Abbott in response to large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in El Paso. In this photo, migrants stand to the east of the station National Guard.

Migrants warm by a fire after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, to request asylum on Dec. 19, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued an "administrative stay," temporarily leaving the Title 42 pandemic era policy to expel migrants at the border quickly. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if and when Title 42 is lifted.

An immigrant stumbles while crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, to seek political asylum on Dec. 19, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued an "administrative stay," temporarily leaving the Title 42 pandemic era policy in place to quickly expel migrants at the border. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if and when Title 42 is lifted.

As seen from an aerial view, immigrants cross the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, to seek asylum on Dec. 19, 2022, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued an "administrative stay," temporarily leaving the Title 42 pandemic era policy in place to quickly expel migrants at the border. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if and when Title 42 is lifted.

Migrants warm by a fire after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, to request asylum on Dec. 19, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued an "administrative stay," temporarily leaving the Title 42 pandemic era policy in place to quickly expel migrants at the border. Border officials expect an even larger migrant surge at the border if and when Title 42 is lifted.

Migrants wait in line along a border wall in El Paso, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande and US-Mexico borders as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of President Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent instructs immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Over the weekend, El Paso declared a state of emergency, one week after a surge of asylum seekers began crossing the border, quickly overwhelming federal immigration and city authorities. U.S. border authorities predict an even larger influx of migrants with the court-ordered end of Title 42 on December 21.

Colombian migrants are seen on board a Border Patrol air boat in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

Migrants wait to be processed by Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of President Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

Manuel Bolivar, a migrant from Venezuela, speaks during an interview about the impact of Title 42 immigration policy. At the same time, they wait across from El Paso, Texas, at a shelter in Mexico near the US-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of President Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

People look from a bus departing the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol Station for processing migrants after they cross the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Monday the imminent removal of a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants. An order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on the removal planned for Wednesday of Title 42, which allowed the government to use Covid-19 safety protocols to block the entry of millions of migrants summarily.

A family of migrants from Columbia climbs up through a canal fence after crossing under a hole in the US-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Monday the imminent removal of a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants. An order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on the removal planned for Wednesday of Title 42, which allowed the government to use Covid-19 safety protocols to block the entry of millions of migrants summarily.

A family of migrants from Columbia makes their way through a water canal after crossing under a hole in the US-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Monday the imminent removal of a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants. An order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on the removal planned for Wednesday of Title 42, which allowed the government to use Covid-19 safety protocols to block the entry of millions of migrants summarily.

A migrant from Venezuela makes the sign of the cross as they climbs up from a canal after crossing the border through a hole in the US-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Monday the imminent removal of a key policy used since the administration of President Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants. An order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on the removal planned for Wednesday of Title 42, which allowed the government to use Covid-19 safety protocols to block the entry of millions of migrants summarily.

Migrants wait near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. Pandemic-era immigration restrictions in the U.S., known as Title 42, are set to expire on Dec. 21.

Migrants sit outside by a campfire at a shelter on the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. Pandemic-era immigration restrictions in the U.S., known as Title 42, are set to expire on Dec. 21.

A baby milk formula bottle left behind by migrants rests alongside a canal along the US-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Monday the imminent removal of a key policy used since the administration of President Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants. An order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on the removal planned for Wednesday of Title 42, which allowed the government to use Covid-19 safety protocols to block the entry of millions of migrants summarily.

Immigrants from Ecuador gather outside a migrant shelter during the FIFA World Cup final on Dec. 18, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. On Saturday, El Paso declared a state of emergency a week after a surge of asylum seekers began crossing the border, quickly overwhelming federal immigration and city authorities. U.S. border authorities predict an even larger influx of migrants with the court-ordered end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.

An immigrant, 82, drinks hot chocolate delivered by good samaritans outside an overnight migrant shelter run by Sacred Heart Church migrant shelter on Dec. 18, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. On Saturday, El Paso declared a state of emergency, one week after a surge of asylum seekers began crossing the border, quickly overwhelming federal immigration and city authorities. U.S. border authorities predict an even larger influx of migrants with the court-ordered end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.

An immigrant bundle against the cold while sleeping outside a bus station on Dec. 18, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. El Paso declared a state of emergency one week after a surge of asylum seekers began crossing the border, quickly overwhelming federal immigration and city authorities. U.S. border authorities predict an even larger influx of migrants with the court-ordered end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.

Migrants from Venezuela keep warm by a fire while waiting for Title 42 to be lifted in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, near the US-Mexico border into El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 18, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

Migrants are carried across the Rio Grande river and into El Paso, Texas, on the US-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2022. - The US Supreme Court halted Dec. 19, 2022, the imminent removal of Title 42, a key policy used since the administration of president Donald Trump to block migrants at the southwest border, amid worries over a surge in undocumented immigrants.

Migrants walk through the Rio Grande river to surrender to US Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 18, 2022. - The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

Migrants walk along the United States side of the Rio Grande river beneath the border wall to surrender to US Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Dec. 18, 2022. - The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

Venezuelan migrant Sofia Rodriguez, 8, gets her hair brushed by her mother at a makeshift camp near the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Dec. 18, 2022. - An increasing number of migrants have been arriving at the southern Mexican border in anticipation of Title 42 being lifted on Dec. 21. Local authorities estimate that there are under 1,000 migrants at the migrant camp. The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

A migrant makeshift camp is seen near the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Dec. 18, 2022. - An increasing number of migrants have been arriving at the southern Mexican border in anticipation of Title 42 being lifted on December 21. Local authorities estimate that there are under 1,000 migrants at the migrant camp. The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

Migrants wait in line along the border wall to surrender to US Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, after crossing the Rio Grande river on Dec. 18, 2022. - The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

Migrants make hot chocolate at a makeshift camp where they have been living while waiting to apply for asylum in the United States near the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, ahead of the end of the "Title 42" measure on Dec. 17, 2022. - The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on December 21.

Venezuelan migrants Elvis Dario Medina, 30, and his daughter Darielvis Victoria Medina, 4, pose for a photo at the tent where they have been living while waiting to apply for asylum in the United States near the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, ahead of the end of the "Title 42" measure on Dec. 17, 2022. - The "Title 42" measure has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of people since former President Donald Trump was invoked in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been criticized as cruel and ineffective. It expires at midnight on Dec. 21.

Immigrants wait to enter a shelter at the Sacred Heart Church on Dec. 17, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Migrants crossed the border from Mexico in previous days, seeking political asylum. U.S. border authorities predict a surge of migrants with the end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.

Immigrants wait to enter a shelter at the Sacred Heart Church on Dec. 17, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Migrants crossed the border from Mexico in previous days, seeking political asylum. U.S. border authorities predict a surge of migrants with the end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.

Immigrants wait to enter a shelter at the Sacred Heart Church on Dec. 17, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Migrants crossed the border from Mexico in previous days, seeking political asylum. U.S. border authorities predict a surge of migrants with the end of Title 42 on Dec. 21.