The Biden administration is setting up migrant processing centers in Latin America to curb the border crisis at the southern border of the U.S.

Two locations, one in Columbia and the other in Guatemala, target two key locations where migrants continue to make their journeys northward.

Biden to set up migrant processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia https://t.co/Ro0VEZuXOw via @MailOnline

— Nikola Tesla 10 (Parody) (@NikolaTesla102) April 28, 2023

The Title 42 issue

"Title 42 allowed for the expedited expulsion of migrants from the U.S. in the midst of the public health emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials were able to use this policy in more than 2.7 million instances since March 2020 while processing migrants' asylum claims," the Daily Mail reported.

"But now that there is no longer a health emergency in the U.S., the policy is set to end on May 11. Republicans and border policy hawks have been highly critical of the program coming to an end, claiming there is no alternative to make sure the southern border is not overrun and even more overwhelmed once Title 42 expires," it added.

The processing centers will be run by "international organization partners"

DHS is also expanding eligibility for the family reunification parole program to cover Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia and Honduras.https://t.co/BznLxYEf1T

— Adam Shaw (@AdamShawNY) April 27, 2023

The Biden administration's response

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the moves this week to address the concerns of even more migrant crossing with the end of Title 42 on May 11.

‘This is a hemispheric challenge that demands hemispheric solutions," Mayorkas said at a press conference.

"Working with our neighbors in the region, we can and will reduce the number of migrants who reach our southern border," he added.

Two weeks before the end of Title 42, the Biden admin announced plans to open migrant processing centers in Latin America to slow the number of migrants entering the U.S.

Centers in Guatemala and Colombia are expected to be up and running within weeks. https://t.co/ECGFUP7CqV

— POLITICO (@politico) April 27, 2023

The details

"The U.S. expects to initially screen at least 5,000 or 6,000 migrants a month at the new processing centers," Mayorkas said.

“The whole model is to reach the people where they are — to cut the smugglers out and to have them avoid the perilous journey that too many do not make. But we are beginning in Guatemala and Colombia. We are beginning at the level that I described, and we will scale up,” he noted, according to Politico.

EXCLUSIVE: The Biden admin. is expected to announce Thursday the establishment of immigration processing centers in Latin America as part of an effort to reduce the number of migrants traveling to the U.S. border, sources told CBS News. https://t.co/MdUqx2c0HI

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 27, 2023

"Officials have made internal projections that migrant arrivals to the southern border could spike to between 10,000 and 13,000 per day next month, CBS News reported.

"In fact, unlawful border crossings have already increased in the lead-up to the policy change, especially in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, a senior U.S. official told CBS News. On Tuesday alone, Border Patrol recorded 7,500 apprehensions of migrants, a more than 40% increase from March's daily average, the official said," the outlet noted.

The announcement is also leading to concerns about the funding of the migrant centers. Taxpayers have already expressed frustrations over massive federal funds to deal with migrants, a concern that could grow as the 2024 election cycle ramps up.

The ongoing migrant issue is not going away but the Biden administration at least hopes to address it hundreds of miles before some migrants head to the nation's border.