Mayorkas says U.S. is preparing for "significant challenges" along the border, asking countries to accept deportees

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged Friday that the planned end of Title 42 border expulsions in May could pose "significant challenges" for the U.S. government, but he stressed that his department is ready to implement the change and deal with a likely spike in migrant arrivals.

In an interview with CBS News Friday, Mayorkas said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has erected migrant processing facilities, deployed additional medical staff and other personnel to the southern border and expanded migrant transportation capabilities as part of a months-long plan. 

Mayorkas, who met with officials in Panama this week, said the Biden administration is also enlisting the help of countries in the Western Hemisphere to reduce the current high levels of migration to the U.S. border, including by convincing them to accept the return of asylum-seekers and migrants rejected by the U.S.