CBP and ICE begin special operation in El Paso to process and remove immigrants

• ICE and CBP launch an enforcement operation in El Paso.
• Migrant numbers are surging ahead of Title 42 ending.
• They will expedite processing and deportations.

On Tuesday, US authorities launched a drastic enforcement operation to deal with undocumented immigrants in El Paso, Texas. CBP and ICE began a special operation to process and potentially deport migrants at the border.

According to Fox News, the Biden administration is launching a “targeted enforcement operation” in El Paso, Texas, that started on Tuesday, in order to process and potentially deport and expel illegal immigrants at a critical point for border crossings.

CBP and ICE launch special operation in El Paso

This comes after numbers have risen along the border ahead of Title 42 ending later this week. Agents and officers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) will carry out the operation.

Around 2,200 migrants are currently camping or living on the streets a few blocks from the main ports of entry that connect El Paso with the Mexican city of Juárez, the place where the operation began.

The special operation comes as Title 42 ends

The special operation comes before the end of the Title 42 public health order, which has been used since 2020 to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, nearly half of all encounters with immigrants ended in a Title 42 expulsion.

The end of the order is expected to attract a huge number of migrants to the border who believe they have a better chance of being admitted to the US once the order ends. The Biden administration has warned that it is toughening penalties for illegal entry while urging immigrants to use expanded legal avenues instead.

“Persons who do not have a legal basis to remain will be removed”

The operation will see agents “process individuals for investigation and placement in Title 42 removal or Title 8 removal proceedings, as appropriate,” CBP said in a statement. Those deemed to pose a national security or public safety threat will be transferred to ICE for detention.

“As we have repeatedly said, individuals who do not have a legal basis to remain will be removed,” Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. “People should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use legal avenues for protection.”

Travelers are asked to use alternative ports after the start of the special operation

The agency stressed that neither agency will take action «at or near a location that restricts people’s access to essential services or participation in essential activities to the greatest extent possible.»

Meanwhile, CBP will reduce operations at the nearby Paso Del Norte port of entry. The agency encourages travelers to use alternative ports after the start of the special operation in El Paso for the detention and expulsion of immigrants.