Haitian Migrants in Texas Border Camp Are Now Gone, but Probably Not for Long
The Biden administration has reportedly removed all the Haitian migrants who recently arrived and converged in Del Rio, Texas.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday said the camp under the Del Rio international bridge, where almost 15,000 migrants stayed, has been emptied.
In a news conference, Del Rio Mayor Buno Lozano called this development "phenomenal news." As the Texas border camp was cleared of migrants, many Haitians faced expulsion because protections offered by the Biden administration did not cover them.
The Biden administration allows more than 100,000 Haitians already in the U.S. to apply for an 18-month temporary protected status that would shield them from deportation.
Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez told Daily Mail that the last group of Haitian migrants was removed from the Texas border camp at around 11:41 a.m. Friday. Martinez noted that migrants were taken to the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition in Del Rio.
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DHS Secretary Admits 30,000 Haitian Migrants Encountered on Border
According to Alejandro Mayorkas, almost 30,000 migrants have been encountered at Del Rio since September 9. He noted that the 15,000 was the one-time highest number of Haitian migrants encountered at the border.
The DHS secretary said around 2,000 Haitian migrants had been expelled on 17 flights, while 8,000 have volunteered to go back to Haiti.
He noted that 12,400 migrants are having their cases heard, while at least 5,000 are being processed. Officials said some from the remaining 2,600 migrants have returned to Mexico,
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris React on Horse-Mounted Border Patrol Agents
The Biden administration has halted the use of horses by Border Patrol agents in Del Rio following outrage over the aggressive tactics they employed to disperse Haitian migrants.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris blasted the horse-mounted border patrol agents, who were caught in the images chasing and aggressively dispersing Haitian migrants in the area.
On Friday, Joe Biden said the way the agents used their horses was "horrible" and that "people will pay" for their actions.
"It's outrageous... There will be an investigation underway now, and there will be consequences... It's an embarrassment," the president noted.
Joe Biden added that what the border agents did was "wrong," and it sends the wrong message around the world and "at home."
On the other hand, Kamala Harris on Friday compared the photos to the brutality of slavery. The vice president said she "was outraged" by the images and that the photos were "horrible and deeply troubling."
"Human beings should not be treated that way," said Kamala Harris, adding that the images also evoked some of the worst moments of U.S. history, where similar behavior has been used against African Americans during times of slavery.
Kamala Harris said she "fully" supports the investigation. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that some 19,000 migrants, mostly Haitians, are heading towards the U.S.-Mexico border.
Colombian officials said the migrants are reportedly in Colombia, waiting to cross the border to Panama.
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Del Rio International Bridge Remains Closes as Haitian-Migrant Encampment Empties - From KENS5