Milwaukee Dreamer reacts to Title 42 coming to an end

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The clock is ticking down to the end of the COVID-era public health emergency policy known as Title 42, which legally allowed the U.S. to turn migrants away from the southern border for about three years. And now, there's concern that a significant number of migrants will soon head over.

"For the first time ever, Title 42 was used because of the pandemic to deny people their lawful right to apply for asylum in the United States. Even the top scientists at the CDC were against this being used," said Darryl Morin, national president at Forward Latino.

Now, Title 42 will cease to exist, and concerns of national security and an unprecedented influx of migrants rise.

"The lifting of the Title 42 public health order does not mean our border is open," said the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Yet tens of thousands of families are seen waiting at the border, hoping to make their case.

"I was too young to remember anything, so for me, this is home, this is all I know," said Alondra Garcia, a DACA recipient who is currently a bilingual teacher at Allen-Field Elementary School.

Garcia knows all too well what it's like to move from Michoacán, Mexico, to Milwaukee’s south side when she was only a toddler.

"I was two, turning three in 1999, most of my dad's side of the family was already established here," she said.

Morin told CBS 58 News he has been at the border distributing food and clothing supplies, and although Title 42 will be lifted, because of Title 8, not much will change for migrants.

"Throughout all of American history, anyone who's come to our borders has been allowed to apply for asylum," he said. "Now whether they meet the criteria and are allowed, that's a completely different story, but under Title 42, they've denied that right to almost everyone, and under Title 8, they will continue to do the same thing."

House Republicans are expected to pass a bill Thursday to address the humanitarian crisis at stake, strengthening enforcement at the border -- but it's unlikely to become law.

"We're considered, you know, Land of the Free, where everyone can strive and become someone better for themselves and for their families, and they are being denied access. Like, it is ridiculous how hard it is to seek asylum," Garcia added.

Because Title 42 is a health policy and not an immigration law, the criticism lies in that it was a quick fix to try to stop migrants from heading to the U.S. Now, the push is geared toward enacting a comprehensive immigration reform.

Forward Latino partners up with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, housing and assisting well over 100,000 people at the border. You can donate, here.