CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte area nonprofits that serve migrants have said they are bracing for impact. Title 42, a Trump Administration policy is set to expire on May 11. It's a public health rule that was enacted during the height of the pandemic and closed the southern border for asylum seekers.
Across the southern border in Juarez, Mexico, time ticks away. As thousands of migrants wait, they are set up in tents and makeshift hostiles.
It was what Carolina Benitez with the Camino Health Center saw on her trip there in January.
“They were kind of just waiting their turn," Benitez said. “We connected personally with a lot of individuals and families.”
Droves of people waited for their appointment to be granted admission into the United States but were not allowed to.
“Some of the numbers we are hearing is 40,000 people are waiting to be processed," Benitez said.
More than 1,000 miles away in the Queen City, organizations like the Camino Health Center are expecting a lot of migrants coming their way because the policy is coming to an end.
“Hundreds of people in seek of relief and opportunities," Benitez said. “There’s already hundreds of people who we are partnering with who are directly sending hundreds of people to us.”
Some lawmakers like U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) shared growing concerns and fears about the looming expiration date.
“Come next week, all hell is going to break lose and eventually flow into the interior of the United States," Sen. Graham said.
In response, across the state line in North Carolina, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) sponsored a bill that would extend Title 42 for an additional two years.
Benitez said the influx of southern migrants into Charlotte isn't new.
“Here at Camino we’ve been working with families and people and migrants for over 25 years," Benitez said. "They are coming here because we have some kind of system to support them.”
The center has hired more staff in preparation for the spike.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.