On May 11, at 11:59 p.m. Title 42 officially ended, despite the thousands of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In March 2020, the Trump Administration established the Title 42 policy because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944, the policy was meant to limit the spread of diseases through the removal of illegal migrants coming into the U.S. from its southern border. 

In January, President Joe Biden expanded the program to include expulsion to Mexico of illegal Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans entering the U.S., providing alternative programs for controlled numbers of migrants to come into the country. However, with the expiration of the national COVID-19 public health emergency, the necessity and support for Title 42 diminished, leading to its scheduled removal. 

The Biden Administration has stated that firmer asylum rules along with an app for asylum seekers in various Latin American countries will be instilled to permit greater access to legal immigration into the U.S.