US ramps up plan to expel Haitian migrants gathered in Texas
Del Rio (US): The US plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials have said as agents poured into a Texas border city where thousands of Haitians have gathered after suddenly crossing into the US from Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it moved about 2,000 of the migrants who had gathered under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio to other locations on Friday for processing and possible removal from the United States.
It also said it would have 400 agents and officers in the area by Monday morning and was prepared to send more if necessary.
The announcement marks a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a city of about 35,000 people that's roughly 233 kilometers west of San Antonio and sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people.
A US official told The Associated Press on Friday that operational capacity and Haiti's willingness to accept flights will determine how many there will be. The official said progress was being made on negotiations with Haitian authorities.
The official said the US would likely fly five to eight planes a day, starting Sunday, while another official expected no more than two a day and said all migrants would be tested for COVID-19. Both officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
US Customs and Border Protection closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions Friday at the only border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acu a, Mexico, "to respond to urgent safety and security needs."
Travellers were being directed indefinitely to a crossing in Eagle Pass 91 kilometers away. Crowd estimates varied, but Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez said Friday that there were about 13,700 new arrivals in Del Rio. Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.
The flight plan, while potentially massive in scale, hinges on how Haitians respond. They might have to decide whether to stay put at the risk of being sent back to an impoverished homeland wracked by poverty and political instability or return to Mexico. Unaccompanied children are exempt from fast-track expulsions.
DHS said, "Our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey."
Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion," the agency wrote. Irregular migration poses a significant threat to the health and welfare of border communities and to the lives of migrants themselves, and should not be attempted."
