We appear already to be seeing an increase in arrivals at the southern border as the Title 42 public health order is set to end on May 11. 

Migrant detention facilities surpassed capacity this weekend, report Priscilla Alvarez and Rosa Flores of CNN. The Rio Grande Valley sector, with a holding capacity of about 4,000, had around 7,00 migrants in custody as of Saturday morning.  

Meanwhile, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser has declared a state of emergency to go into effect today, reports Skylar Soto of KTSM. Leeser said the city will have public shelters and public housing that will be used to temporarily house migrants.  

A key point: Leeser is focusing on safety, not just of El Paso residents but also of migrants. "We will help and we will make sure that all our asylum seekers are treated with dignity and respect," he said. 

Many of the people coming are asylum seekers with valid claims. Some will be victims of misinformation, often at the hands of smugglers and cartels. Routine seasonal factors that have little to do with a policy change are also likely to contribute to an increase in border encounters. 

And the border is not "open." People who do not have valid asylum claims will be deported, many of them quickly: The Biden administration is ramping up fast-track asylum screening, reports Elliot Spagat of the Associated Press. 

Per DHS, expedited screenings will apply only to single adults. Screenings are initially set for migrants from Spanish-speaking countries and already have started in Donna, Texas; San Diego; Yuma, Arizona; and El Paso. 

Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Clara Villatoro and Katie Lutz. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].  

PENDING DACA RULING — Late last week, the Biden administration asked a federal judge to stop short of ordering the full termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) if he finds it is unlawful, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News. Judge Andrew Hanen of Texas is expected to rule (again) soon on DACA’s legality.  

HOUSING CHALLENGE — Many asylum seekers struggle to find housing once they arrive in the U.S. Liam Reilly of CNN zooms in and shows the reality of a Haitian family trying to find a place to stay in Boston after a long journey through Central America, Mexico, the southern border and San Antonio. At the end of their journey: a night sleeping in a hospital lobby, then an overcrowded accommodation. 

WORKERS’ CONCERNS — With hardline immigration legislation moving forward in the Florida, migrant agricultural workers and advocates are among those expressing concerns, reports Ivan Taylor of CBS Miami. Among other things, the bill would require hospitals to ask patients’ immigration status and submit reports about the responses to the state. "We know that if immigrant workers do not have any documentation to provide in hospitals, it is not safe for them to go to a hospital," said advocate Yomaris Toro of We Count.   

FAILED RESPONSIBILITY — A judge ordered Francisco Garduño, the head of Mexico’s immigration agency, to stand trial on charges that he failed in his responsibility to protect 40 migrants in custody who died in a fire at a border detention center in March, reports the Associated Press. The judge denied the prosecutors’ request to remove Garduño from his position, but he must check in with the court every other week. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan 

P.S. To end on a brighter note: Six families in the Rolling Hills community south of L.A. are raising money to sponsor a family of six through Welcome Corps. Amber Frias of NBC 7 San Diego has the story.