Title 42, a COVID-era halt on asylum applications, has ended. Here's what to expect

Texas National Guard troops set up razor wire in El Paso, Texas. Officials are anticipating a wave of immigrants on Thursday night, with the end of the U.S. government's COVID-era Title 42 policy. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The pandemic border restrictions known as Title 42 ended at 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, lifting a policy that had sharply limited access to asylum since March 2020.

In its place, the Biden administration has implemented a combination of new asylum rules and legal pathways. These measures are intended to discourage migrants from crossing the border illegally and prevent an unprecedented increase of people seeking asylum along the southern border.