DEL RIO, Texas — Officials said Saturday that the US planned to ramp up its attempts to deport Haitian migrants on planes back to their Caribbean nation, as agents rushed into a Texas border community where thousands of Haitians have camped after crossing the border from Mexico.
The statement comes in the wake of the unexpected arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a community of approximately 35,000 people located about 145 miles (233 kilometres) west of San Antonio on a section of border that lacks the ability to retain and process such large groups of people.
The number of flights would be determined by the operational capacity and Haiti’s willingness to accept them, according to a US official who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. Negotiations with Haitian officials are progressing, according to the official.
“To react to critical safety and security needs,” US Customs and Border Protection closed the sole border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acua, Mexico, to cars and people in both ways on Friday. Travellers were being routed to a crossing in Eagle Pass, which was 57 miles (91 kilometres) away, indefinitely.
Estimates of the number of newcomers in Del Rio fluctuated, but Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez estimated on Friday that there were roughly 13,700 newcomers. Migrants set up tents and made temporary shelters out of carrizo cane, a large reed. Many people used the river to bathe and wash their clothes.
“Our borders are not open,” the Department of Homeland Security stated, “and individuals should not attempt the perilous journey.”
The agency added, “Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion.” “Irregular migration presents a serious threat to border towns’ health and welfare, as well as the lives of migrants themselves, and should not be attempted.”
Mexican immigration officials forced around 500 Haitians off buses in the state of Tamaulipas, roughly 120 miles (200 kilometres) south of the Texas border, according to a news release from the state administration on Friday. They continued on foot toward the border.
Although many Haitians have gathered in camps on the Mexican side of the border to wait while considering whether or not to attempt to enter the United States, it is unknown how such a huge number gathered so rapidly.
U.S. authorities are being put to the test after Biden swiftly removed Trump administration rules that he deemed cruel or inhumane, including one that required asylum applicants to remain in Mexico while awaiting U.S. immigration court hearings.
Mexico has promised to accept evicted families from just Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, allowing Haitians and other nations to enter the country.
Despite the fact that the majority of the encounters included repeat crossers, there are no legal penalties for being removed under the pandemic authority, US officials stopped almost 209,000 migrants at the border in August, which was close to a 20-year high.