Of the 30,000 Haitians concentrated in the Del Rio camp, 12,400 were released in different cities in the United States while their asylum cases were being reviewed, about 2,000 were expelled to Haiti in 17 flights, the rest were returned to Mexico
By René Kladzyk / El Paso Matters
El Paso, Texas – El Paso nongovernmental organizations have begun receiving Haitian migrants released from the custody of the US Department of Homeland Security.
More than 100 Haitian migrants who had entered the United States through Del Rio, Texas, were greeted Thursday by an El Paso migrant shelter after being released from federal immigration custody, said Rubén Garcia, director of Casa Anunciación. , a local network of shelters.
Garcia said he expected more Haitians to arrive on Friday.
On Friday afternoon, two 29-year-old Haitian men were sitting at the El Paso airport waiting to fly to New York, where their relatives live. They had made a tumultuous journey from Haiti to the United States, crossing the border from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, to Del Rio, before being transferred by US immigration officials to El Paso, where they were processed and released.
“The problem (in Haiti) is that there is no security, and my president is dead,” said one of the men. Both asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. “Without food, without work, how can you live? That is why we are looking for another country, ”he said in Spanish.
The men are among the group of Haitian migrants who have been released in El Paso, following the crisis in a camp under and near the bridge that separates Del Río and Ciudad Acuña.
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As of Friday morning, the migrant camp under the bridge near Del Rio had been cleared, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. Among the 30,000 migrants who had arrived in the Del Rio area since Sept. 9, approximately 12,400 have been released into the United States while their asylum cases are being reviewed. About 8,000 Haitians had returned to Mexico “voluntarily,” Mayorkas said, and 2,000 have been expelled to Haiti on 17 flights.
Images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback cornering Haitian migrants have sparked an international backlash against the treatment of Haitians at the border, amid a mass expulsion of Haitians back to the poor Caribbean nation beset by political turmoil and the aftermath of catastrophic natural disasters. DHS announced Thursday that it would temporarily suspend the use of horses by officers in Del Rio.
READ MORE: This is what the migrant camp in Del Rio, Texas looks like
The US special envoy to Haiti resigned Thursday in response to the Biden administration’s treatment of Haitians.
“I will not associate myself with the inhumane and counterproductive decision of the United States to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to safe compounds due to the danger posed by the armed gangs that control daily life. ”Wrote Daniel Foote in his resignation letter.
The US State Department has a level four travel advisory for Haiti, “do not travel,” which warns of kidnappings, crime, and civil unrest.
El Paso officials had previously announced that the Haitians would be transported to El Paso before being expelled to Haiti. The Samaniego County Judge said 500 Haitians were brought to El Paso each day for prosecution.
On Thursday, El Paso leaders and advocates gathered in the city center to protest the mass expulsion of Haitians.
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This content is published by The truth with authorization from El Paso Matters. See original here.
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