SAN DIEGO — More than a week after the end of Title 42, we are getting a better picture of how migrants and border officials have responded after the shift in U.S. policy.
We are seeing far fewer people than originally forecast.
Many government officials had warned about the massive surge of migrants that would cross in the days following the expiration of the order, but that has not been the case.
"Border patrol is picking them up quickly," said immigration rights advocate, Pedro Rios.
Hundreds of migrants have been taken by border patrol agents to processing centers in the U.S.
"I've been back to the border, the area where migrants were gathering and i have not seen the large number of migrants that we had been seeing for weeks," continued Rios.
Instead, you’ll find empty tents and other items many migrants left behind.
According to federal officials, the number of migrants approaching the southern border has dropped significantly since the end of Title 42.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said border patrol agents across the southern border apprehended 4,200 migrants on Saturday, down from more than 10,000 a day before Title 42 expired last Thursday.
Mayorkas says that’s because the U.S. has increased processing for migrants seeking asylum and has sped up deportations for those who don’t qualify.
Rios believes fewer migrants are crossing because of stricter Title 8 laws.
“I think it could be for two reasons one is that the message is getting out that the crossing could provide a ban for people, a ban on asylum for 5 years. And that really is unfortunate because it does curtail the ability for someone to provide safety for themselves," added Rios.
Rios believes that as more migrants get deported, it’s likely others will seek entry through more dangerous and unregulated ways.
“What that has meant in the past is that more people are crossing the deserts, the mountains, the ocean, and it could mean more people that are losing their lives,” said Rios.
Other migrants who fear their asylum claims will be denied are choosing to stay in Mexico or other countries for now.
WATCH: Border Patrol clears out migrant campsites in Jacumba Hot Springs