As Texas mobilized more than 500 troops to protect the southern border in El Paso, immigrants from Central and South America were desperate to build a new life in the United States.
Braving frigid temperatures, fast-moving water, and the risk of being kidnapped by cartels or exploited by human traffickers, migrants risk their possessions, money and lives to cross the Rio Grande into the U.S. — often with their families. and are going with their children.
The future of their transition remains uncertain. The Biden administration has moved to end Title 42, saying there is no longer a justification for the Trump-era policy that allowed the U.S. to deport immigrants seeking asylum to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Despite objections from GOP politicians and a temporary intervention from the Supreme Court, the administration has said it wants to end the policy after Christmas, which is sure to lead to an even greater influx of border crossings.
Photojournalists documented the courageous and dangerous journey of migrants to the United States.
Below is a gallery of what they saw:
Migrants seeking asylum after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, on December 22.
Migrants line up to be escorted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 22.
Venezuelan migrants watch as others line up at the border wall to be greeted by Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States on Dec. 21.
Migrants from Venezuela spend the evening outside along the US-Mexico border wall as they wait to apply for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on December 21.
Blaidimar, 8, of Venezuela, warms himself by a fire outside the US-Mexico border wall as he waits to apply for asylum in El Paso, Texas, on December 21.
Migrants seeking asylum on the Mexican side of the border gather around a fire near the Rio Grade River on December 21.
Migrants spend the night outside along the US-Mexico border wall to apply for asylum on December 21.
Texas National Guard troops opened a concertina wire near the US-Mexico border on December 21.
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