On a typical day, employees at the Galilee Center in Riverside County see about 150 immigrants in need of clothing, food, and a place to stay for a night or two.

Leaders at the nonprofit center say this is about to change with the expiration of the health statute known as Title 42.

We make sure we have enough food and clothing for people…because we know the numbers are going to rise, co-founder Gloria Gomez said. We tried to get more stuff.

On Thursday, the immigration policy enacted by the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep asylum seekers out of the US expired.

The new interpretation of the decades-old Title 42 has led to millions of migrant evictions since its implementation in March 2020. The policy was criticized by some lawmakers, including then-California Senator Kamala Harris, who called it a power grab. and an effort to limit immigration.

Now that the policy has ended, organizations that provide services to immigrants such as shelter, food or legal aid are bracing for impact.

They expect more people, many of whom were once returned under Title 42, to enter the country in the coming weeks. That could mean a new demand for services and resources that many believe is already under pressure.

At the Galilee Center, in an unincorporated area of ​​Riverside County, Gomez said the organization is already struggling to help about two busloads of people each day who come from other centers near the border that have reached capacity.

On Friday, Gomez said the 40 workers in four shelters have yet to see the effects of the end of Title 42, but they are already running out of supplies.

We are prepared, Gomez said, but there is always a need for more. We were running out of sweatpants and underwear.

Most migrants stay for 24 to 48 hours until they can reach a sponsor or family member.

In the Inland Empire, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, an organization of about 35 groups that provide services to immigrants in the area, is planning an emergency meeting this week to assess the potential effects of the end of Title 42 on services, including transitional housing, food, clothing and legal aid, said a spokesman.

Other aid groups in the state also expect higher demand, but many have already built infrastructure and partnerships with local organizations to deal with fluctuations in immigration, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

Our hope is that we can try to scale up our efforts so that we can help people as we already are, she said. Yes, we’re looking at expansion, but there’s a base from which to work.

Despite the expected increase, Salas said groups like hers fought to finish Title 42.

We will be ready for additional people, just as we have been challenged in the past, she said.

Cambria Tortorelli, managing director of the International Institute of Los Angeles, which provides legal services to people seeking asylum, primarily works with refugees who have applied from their home countries and entered the US legally. The organization also works with some immigrants from Afghanistan who entered the country through the southern border.

The organization is preparing staff for an expected increase in workload, one that is likely to strain organizations across the state, Tortorelli said.

There aren’t enough nonprofit pro bono services for those who need them, she said.

Due to the end of Title 42, the San Bernardino Community Service Center, which provides legal assistance to immigrants and asylum seekers, decided to change its strategy to help immigrants navigate the confusing asylum process.

“We have already exceeded capacity,” said Emilio Amaya, executive director of the nonprofit organization. We wouldn’t have the resources to help the people who need it.

The center can usually handle about 25 cases at a time, and it’s already processing double that number, he said.

The reality is that there aren’t enough private lawyers and even if there are, people don’t have the money to hire them, Amaya said.

To handle the increased workload, the center will hold educational seminars to help people file their initial paperwork and begin their legal process, he said.

Many migrants lose their business simply because they don’t show up, but at least the seminars can get the ball rolling.

The idea is that they at least have the information to start their case. While they wait, they can get permission to work and the resources to perhaps hire a private attorney, Amaya said. It won’t be the same, but it can help.