Expiration of Tile 42 impacts nonprofits seeing more people released from ICE detention center

The end of the pandemic also means the end of the Title 42 immigration policy, which allowed authorities to swiftly expel migrants at the U.S. border.

In the last few days, the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. has surged, and every day for the last week about 200 people arrived in Denver.

The mayor says the city has already spent $16 million helping migrants and that it's time for the federal government to pitch in.

Colorado nonprofit, Casa De Paz, which helps migrants released from the ICE Detention Center in Aurora, says it's already seeing the impact of this policy ending. 

In the past few days, it has assisted 20-50 people a day, of those who have been released from the detention center. 

Though it has been doing this work for over a decade, the numbers it has seen now are concerning.

The nonprofit has a van parked right outside of Aurora's ICE detention center, waiting to welcome migrants released from the center.

Among that group are individuals like, Elvis, who was released after three months of being detained.

He left his home in Bolivia to search for a better life.

"Being able to see the trees, cars, the streets, the sky, and for the rain to fall on me again… it's an unexplainable feeling," Elvis expressed.

Casa de Paz provides migrants with things like water, food, clothes, Wi-Fi, and rides to the airport. The organization even supplies shoelaces to immigrants, something so simple, but real.  

Inside the detention center, individuals aren't able to have shoelaces in their sneakers, according to the nonprofit.

"I can't explain a lot of things right now, but I just feel really great," Elvis said.

Elvis is just one example of many the nonprofit helps.

Andrea Loya, the executive director of the nonprofit, believes the organization's work to serve those just getting out of the facility is crucial.

"These people were set up by the system, set up for failure too because you're releasing them without support in a place that they don't know, that they've never seen and miles away from their family," Loya said.

Within the last week, the nonprofit says it has seen an increase in the people they assist.

"You go from serving 20 people a week to what was it like over 100 people in two days. So, that also means you know, more food, more water. We just need a lot more bodies here, everybody's been taking on extra time, extra shifts," Loya said. 

She says this is the result of a policy like Title 42 coming to an end as the nonprofit doesn't expect the workload to slow down anytime soon.

"The detention center here has been like this before and so essentially, they are getting ready to fill the beds that they do have available and they are going to process people kind of faster in order to be able to kind of flush people out of their system," Loya said.

The Biden administration announced that it would set up processing centers in Latin American countries.

Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday a new rule will disqualify people from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they do not first apply in countries they crossed earlier in their journeys.

The nonprofit is also searching for volunteers and donations. Visit the website for more information at: https://bit.ly/3NXRdyh