Title 42 ending impacts on the Central Coast 

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- Title 42 elimination may see an influx of migrants on the Central Coast.
With the elimination of Title 42, it's possible for communities on the central coast to see an influx of people arriving.

It raises concern about the limited housing there is in counties like Monterey for migrants and farm workers. Title 42 was a regulation created when ex-president Donald Trump was in office.

It was meant to turn away migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. - Mexico border. Under Title 42, asylum seekers were either sent back to their home countries. 

Hundreds of thousands waited in refugee camps in Mexico waiting for the moment the policy expired. 

"Those individuals had to stay in border towns in Mexico waiting to be allowed to engage the U.S. government and to apply for asylum," said Ariadna Renteria Torres, Director for Immigration Legal Services at Watsonville Law Center.  

Title 42 is coming to an end after the Biden administration ended the covid public health emergency nationally. Title 42 will expire at midnight, so the U.S. government will have a lot of work to do.

"The government now has these asylum applicants to present their application for asylum and review them," said Renteria Torres. "The government is now preparing for the process in interviewing and processing thousands of applications of these individuals at the border."

Immigration experts also predict lifting Title 42 will increase the number of migrants trying to seek asylum already on the Central Coast. There is a lack of housing for migrants and farm workers.

"We've seen that there is a housing crisis in our communities, and this is just going to get magnified by the demand of dwellings and limited unavailability of them," said Renteria Torres. "So, that, to me, pushes the people to be likely hood of becoming homeless."

Monterey Supervisor Luis Alejo said Monterey County Supervisors would be monitoring any new arrival of people with their community-based organization partners in the coming days and weeks.