Migrants along the U.S. border with Mexico crowded into shelters Wednesday as they waited for the Supreme Court to rule on whether and when to lift pandemic-era restrictions that have prevented many from seeking asylum.

The limits on border crossings had been set to expire Wednesday before conservative-leaning states sought the top court’s help to keep them in place. The Biden administration asked the court to lift the restrictions, but not before Christmas.

It is not clear when the court’s decision will come. Meantime, thousands of people have gathered all along the Mexican side of the southern border, camping outside or packing into shelters, hoping for the opportunity to seek refuge in the U.S. The Texas National Guard took up positions in El Paso.

Hundreds of migrants remained in line in Juarez. Others slept along the concrete embankments of the Rio Grande. A nearby shelter reached its capacity Tuesday night, stranding many outside.

As crowds gathered on the banks of Rio Grande, 1st Sgt. Suzanne Ringle said one woman
In Tijuana, which has an estimated 5,000 migrants staying in more than 30 shelters and many more renting rooms and apartments, the border was quiet Tuesday night as word spread among would-be asylum-seekers that nothing had changed. Layered, razor-topped walls rising 30 feet (9 meters) along the border with San Diego make the area daunting for illegal crossings.

Under the restrictions, officials have expelled asylum-seekers inside the United States 2.5 million times, and turned away most people who requested asylum at the border, on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19 under Title 42.