Photos: Migrants Brace for the End of Title 42

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Immigrants step over a trickle of the Rio Grande while crossing the border from Mexico hoping to be processed for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 08, 2023.
Immigrants step over a trickle of the Rio Grande while crossing the border from Mexico hoping to be processed for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 8, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
By Sanya Mansoor | Photographs by John Moore—Getty Images
Updated: | Originally published:

On Thursday, a pandemic-era federal order allowing the U.S. to quickly expel large numbers of migrants at the southern border will come to an end. Officials and local communities are already bracing for a significant increase in the number of migrants crossing the border.

Since it began under the Trump Administration three years ago, Title 42 has been used more than 2.8 million times to expel migrants without giving them a chance to file asylum claims in the name of mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Most of those expelled are from Mexico and Central America; many are fleeing violence and extreme poverty. Immigration advocates have criticized the policy for infringing on asylum seekers’ rights to access legal pathways to entry.

The program’s expiration has already been delayed multiple times after Republican officials have sued to keep it in place. Three Republican-governed states—Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana— sued last month to preserve Title 42 restrictions, claiming that doing so would lead to an “unprecedented crisis” at the border.

But if that suit doesn’t halt the expiry, the Biden Administration is preparing for an influx of migrants, planning to open about 100 centers to help direct migrants to legal pathways to enter the U.S., expand border cities’ capacity to detain migrants, and deploy additional troops to support border patrol.

Pulitzer-prize winning photographer John Moore has covered the Southern border and immigration for many years. Below are photos he took along the border in El Paso on May 8 and 9, days before the end of Title 42, documenting the preparations from officials and the arriving migrants.

Immigrant families cross into the United States from Mexico to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 8, 2023.
Immigrant families cross into the United States from Mexico to seek asylum in El Paso, Texas, on May 8, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
As seen from an aerial view, Texas National Guard troops set up a “choke point” near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico
As seen from an aerial view, Texas National Guard troops set up a “choke point” near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States wait to be processed by U.S. border agents after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States wait to be processed by U.S. border agents after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Texas National Guard troops set up razor wire near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico
Texas National Guard troops set up razor wire near hundreds of immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Immigrants pray while hoping to be processed by U.S. border agents for asylum after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.
Immigrants pray while hoping to be processed by U.S. border agents for asylum after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Immigrants speak with Texas National Guard troops after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso
Immigrants speak with Texas National Guard troops after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Immigrants cross from Mexico into the United States to seek asylum on May 8, 2023.
Immigrants cross from Mexico into the United States to seek asylum on May 8, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
seen from an aerial view, immigrants wait to be processed to make asylum claims after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into El Paso, Texas
As seen from an aerial view, immigrants wait to be processed to make asylum claims after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
An immigrant hydrates after crossing into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023.
An immigrant hydrates after crossing into the United States from Mexico on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States wait to be processed by U.S. border agents after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States wait to be processed by U.S. border agents after crossing over from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, on May 9, 2023.John Moore—Getty Images

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Write to Sanya Mansoor at sanya.mansoor@time.com