U.S. officials are quietly preparing for what they think could be the biggest surge in traffic at the southern border in decades if a Covid restriction that has blocked most migrants for almost two years is lifted Thursday.
On a call this week with senior Department of Homeland Security officials, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asked whether the department was prepared for a worst-case scenario in which 350,000 to 400,000 migrants cross the border in October, according to two DHS officials familiar with the conversation.
A number that high would nearly double the 21-year record reached in July, when more than 210,000 migrants crossed the border.
The two DHS officials stressed that the estimate is not based on internal intelligence or calculations, saying it is meant to prepare the agency for what could be an overwhelming number of migrants who cross if a court order that lifts the Covid restriction, known as Title 42, takes effect at the end of the week, as is possible.
ThinkCivics researches, examines, and reports on issues that matter most. We deliver explanative, fearless, and insightful analysis for public consumption.
