The chaos and confusion at the border today is exactly what President Joe Biden wanted to avoid when he announced a major change in immigration policy.
A makeshift campsite has sprung up between two 30ft fences that divide San Diego in the United States from Tijuana to Mexico.
There have been a significant increase in the number of migrants in recent weeks at crossing points along the 2,000-mile (3,219 km) long border.
people anticipated the lifting of the title 42A covid-political era, first introduced by the Asset administration, which allowed the rapid deportation of migrants on public health grounds.
Volunteers pass diapers, water, sunscreen and other supplies through the gaps in the metal slats.
But an argument breaks out over the covers.
“Step back, step back, we’re stopping the distribution,” shouts a charity worker.
Learn more:
Why Thousands of Migrants Are Trying to Cross the US Border
The church in El Paso that has become a symbol of America’s broken immigration system
There is no shelter to protect against the scorching sun by day and the bracing cold at night.
Many have been here for several days already and tell me that they are getting little food and water.
They are usually single men at this crossing, but they now outnumber women, children and babies.
Some tied tarp sheets, cardboard and even trash bags to the fence in an effort to create a tent to give themselves some privacy.
“A Bit of Dignity”
But there’s little dignity here as they pass cellphones through the fence in hopes that someone on the US side of the border can recharge them, so they can let their friends and their family where they are.
People came from all over the world, from Central and South America, Asia and Europe.
Everyone here has a personal story, a reason why they try to enter the United States, often after a trying journey.
I’m talking to two women, a gay couple from Jamaica, who say they can’t live there freely.
A Catholic family in Jordan, with a one-year-old baby, has been on the road for two months now, fleeing religious persecution – they say – in their home country.
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What happens after Title 42 expires?
Learn more:
Biden administration proposes tougher border rules
Aid worker Adriana Jasso of the Quaker organization American Friends Service Committee passes trainers through the fence.
She witnessed a drastic change in the composition of the group of people on the other side.
She said: “We saw more women with children, more family units.
“We’ve had babies sleeping outside for a few nights. We’re concerned that some families have been here three nights, four days.”
A woman from Kenya tells me she thinks lifting Title 42 will make it easier to get asylum in the United States.
Someone else says he believed there was a midnight deadline to be processed by border officials.
Amid the uncertainty, the Biden administration has sought to deter people from going to the border.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tweeted: “Don’t believe the lies of the smugglers. The border is not open.”
But thousands are already there or on their way.
