Despite the threats of immediate expulsion from the US, the Department of Homeland Security is releasing some Haitians into the US, as the Biden administration struggles to resolve the huge migrant encampment under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas.
Although the number of migrants allowed entry to the US is not clear, it is expected that some migrants will be released to the US, even if the DHS officials have made clear in recent public statements that many of the migrants will be sent out or be placed in expedited removal proceedings.
Similar to what happened on other parts of the border, some may have a legal basis to stay in the US, like those families seeking asylum, and they could be released with a notice to appear at an immigration office.
Some buses have been seen dropping off some Haitians and people of other nationalities at a nongovernmental organization in Del Rio. They buy their bus or plane tickets there and then they are brought to a gas station where buses taking them to San Antonio and other places nationwide will pick them up.
There were four repatriation flights conducted by DHS from Del Rio to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday. According to a spokesperson from Homeland Security, a total of 523 Hatian nationals were on board.
The Biden administration is still using Trump’s coronavirus pandemic border policy that allows border authorities to quickly remove migrants detained at the US-Mexico border. In the recent week, the administration has increased those removals and raised the rate of the repatriation flights.
Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary issued a strict warning to potential migrants at a news conference on Monday.
Mayorkas said, “I want to make sure that it is known that this is not the way to come to the United States. Trying to enter the United States illegally is not worth the tragedy, the money or the effort.”
“If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned,” he added. “Your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family’s lives.”
Speaking at a Senate panel hearing Tuesday,
Mayorkas said the administration plans to clear out the migrant camp under the bridge within the next nine or 10 days, during his speech at a Senate panel hearing on Tuesday. He added that he expects to see “dramatic results in the next 48 to 96 hours.” According to Mayorkas, in his conversation with CNN, US officials had moved about 4,000 migrants from under the bridge.
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Over 8,000 migrants, mostly Haitian, are expected to stay at the Del Rio bridge in a crisis that many onlookers have expressed as inhumane, and recent photos of law enforcement officers on horseback using hostile actions against migrants have sparked anger in both local and federal officials.
In a political view, the crisis has brought back criticisms of the Biden administration’s immigration policies and has prompted new disapproval from Republicans such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
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