The Biden administration has been conspicuously silent about how migrants should enter the United States when Trump-era asylum limits end, fueling rumors, confusion and doubts about the government's readiness despite more than two years to prepare.

The surge of migrants at the southern border has included skyrocketing numbers from countries that were barely represented in previous years, presenting a challenge that experts say the U.S. is not equipped to address.

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Biden administration to lift Trump-era asylum restrictions that have been a cornerstone of border enforcement since the beginning of Covid.

U.S. authorities stopped migrants more than 230,000 times on the Mexican border in October, the third-highest month of Joe Biden's presidency amid growing numbers from Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia and other countries.

As hundreds of migrants line up along an Arizona border wall around 4 a.m., agents try to separate them into groups by nationality.

Sonora Gov. Claudia Pavlovich warned Friday that the talk about tariffs and border closures coming from Washington is endangering the economy of both her state and Arizona.

The head of Customs and Border Protection said there is no evidence of ISIS attempts to infiltrate the Southwest border and his agency is more focused on trying to prevent more unaccompanied minor immigrants.

The White House and Department of Homeland Security have mounted a campaign in recent days to tell children who cross the border they will not be eligible for deferred action and will be sent home.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson plans a visit to Arizona a day after meeting with officials along the border in Texas.