Atlanta organization ready to help migrants as Title 42 expires

By CNN Newsource

Published May 11, 2023 7:32 AM

By Karli Barnett

ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — Thursday night at 11:59 p.m., a public health law that limited migration during the pandemic is set to expire.

Title 42 was invoked in 2020. New rules will take its place, but not before an influx of people plans to come to the United States.

“Everything was hard. I had to cross the jungle. It was a very hard experience,” said Jose Puerto Rivero, who made the long journey from Venezuela to Atlanta last year.

His interview has been translated from Spanish to English.

“It’s not easy to start from zero,” he said. He credits the Latin American Association with helping them get on their feet. They helped us with some food. They helped us with a hotel,” he said. “As well as some money to find a place to live.

CEO of the Latin American Association in Atlanta, Santiago Marquez, says in light of Title 42 ends, they are prepared to assist. Last year, he said they helped 700 families that walked through their doors.

“Giving them food, giving them a comfortable place to be where they feel safe,” said Marquez. “We all know they’re going to need shelter, they’re going to need some legal help.”

“The lifting of the Title 42 Public Health Order does not mean our border is open,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday. He explained Title 42 will be replaced with Title 8. Under that, migrants who cross the border without authorization must prove they are eligible asylum seekers.

“An individual who is removed under Title 8 is subject to at least a 5-year bar on re-entry into the United States and can face criminal prosecution if they attempt to cross again,” Mayorkas said.

Marquez said those who come here are trying to provide a better life for themselves and their families.

“They’re not coming to take from us. They’re coming to contribute,” he said. “We have a huge workforce shortage in the state, and I just hope there are opportunities for us to start plugging these folks into our society.”

The Latin American Association will hold an asylum information session on May 30 at their office on Buford Highway.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.