As US debates Title 42 policy, asylum seekers left in limbo

Venezuelan native Juan José has travelled two months to the US-Mexico border in the hope that the Title 42 immigration policy will expire [Luis Chaparro/Al Jazeera]

Juan José stands on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande river, his brown eyes fixed on the long, snaking line just across the water. There, about 200 people wait for entry into the United States, part of a recent influx of asylum seekers headed for the border city of El Paso, Texas.

But the 19-year-old Venezuelan is not among them. For the three days since his arrival, Juan José has been biding his time, waiting to see if a controversial US border policy known as Title 42 will end.