According to an official, the United States will send a “massive” number of migrants from the Texas border to Haiti by plane. The operation will start on Sunday, he says.
Haiti is one of the United States’ closest neighbors, and a country struggling with widespread poverty and the aftermath of several natural disasters. Most of the migrants who have gathered at the border between Mexico and the United States come from Haiti.
US authorities are working hard to process the arrivals, but the huge flows of people create challenges, and the flow of migrants across the Rio Grande has overwhelmed the US authorities. On Friday, the border crossing at Del Rio was closed.
A temporary migrant camp has been set up on the Mexican side of the bridge over the river, which connects Acuña and Del Rio. The heat is intense and there are reports of very bad conditions in the camp.
Demanding travel
Photos from the site show people wading across the Rio Grande River – migrants must return to Mexico to obtain food and other necessities.
Under the bridge, more than 10,000 migrants have so far camped, and more are on the way. Most come from Haiti, but some from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have also announced their arrival, according to Reuters.
– CAMP UNDER BRIDGE: Thousands of refugees have arrived at the newly established camp under the bridge between Mexico and Texas. Photo: Office Of Us Congressman Tony via Reuters
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Most Haitian migrants the news agency has spoken to have reached the border after long and tortuous journeys through South and Central America. They have shared itineraries with each other via the chat service WhatsApp.
Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano informs that the number of migrants increased by over 2000 only during Thursday. It is unclear exactly how many are near the bridge.
The majority of the migrants are men, but there are also a good number of women and children in the newly established camp.
Disaster upon disaster
The huge migration is a direct consequence of the crises Haiti is facing.
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Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to and from the United States from Mexico, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of Haitian migrants have assembled under and around a bridge in Del Rio presenting the Biden administration with a fresh and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Foto: Eric Gay
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FILE PHOTO: Asylum-seeking migrants rest in shade under the International Bridge between Mexico and the U.S. where asylum-seeking migrants are waiting to be processed in Del Rio, Texas, U.S., September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo Foto: Go Nakamura
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Haiti migrants waiting in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña to get access to the United States, cross the Rio Grande toward Ciudad Acuña to get supplies, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through knee-deep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders. Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months. (Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Chronicle via AP) Foto: Marie D. De Jesús
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People are hard hit by the powerful earthquake on August 14, which occurred just a month after the country’s president Jovenel Moise was shot and killed in his own home. Just a few days ago it became clear that Haiti’s government lawyer will charge the country’s new prime minister, Ariel Henry, with the assassination.
More than 2,000 people lost their lives after the quake at magnitude 7.2, and the flood that followed.
Criticizes Biden
Biden withdrew many of Trump’s immigration efforts as soon as he took over as president, and is now heavily criticized for his pro-immigration policies. His opponents believe he is encouraging migrants to seek refuge in the United States.
Republican and Governor of Texas Greg Abbott said he wants escalation of security measures at the border.
“We are trying to rectify Biden’s mistakes,” he wrote on Twitter.
After Biden’s inauguration, Abbott has worked to build his own boundary wall. Now he wants to invest three million dollars in further security measures.
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