Greg Abbott, Texas governor, praised state troopers who erected a "steel barrier", which was used to prevent people from entering the US.
He stated that Texas was sending a message that those who are contemplating crossing the border may be imprisoned.
Tens of thousands of refugees are camping under a bridge in Del Rio Texas, hoping to reach the United States.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott thanked border officials and troopers for Tuesday's erecting a steel barrier of police vehicles miles long along the southern US border in an effort to stop Haitian migrants crossing into Texas.
He stated that "one day there were many people crossing the border. Then, the Texas Department of Public Safety set up all these DPS cars and suddenly, people stopped crossing this border in this place."
Abbott said that the state was taking "unprecedented measures" to control the border and that it is sending a message that anyone trying to cross the Rio Grande River will be "handcuffed" and sent to jail.
Many thousands of Haitian refugees have set up camp under a bridge in Del Rio (Texas), a border town of about 35,000 located approximately 150 miles west from San Antonio. After the assassination in July of President Jovenel Moe, and the earthquake that rocked Haiti in August, many migrants are fleeing Haiti. Although reports differ about the exact number of migrants gathered at the Texan border now, estimates put the number at approximately 8,000 after some were returned or processed by immigration officials.
Video footage of border officers confronting migrants riding on horses with whips has been criticized by the White House as well as politicians. This led to the Department of Homeland Security initiating an investigation. Others are condemning the situation as cruel and inhumane.
On Tuesday, Abbott addressed reporters and blamed President Joe Biden. He said that he had not done enough to secure the southern border and that his lax policies were what led to the flood in illegal immigrants to Del Rio.
He said that if an administration isn't enforcing law in this country, or if an administration has abandoned any pretense to securing the border or securing our sovereignity, you will see an onrush of people, much like the one we saw crossing this dam right behind us."
Although it is not clear why so many migrants have gathered at Del Rio so quickly. However, misinformation that it would be easier to cross the border there could have played a role, according to The New York Times.
Guerline M. Jozef (executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance), a group that assists migrants, stated to The Times, "False Information, Misinformation, and misunderstanding may have created a false feeling of hope."
Biden's administration was denying immigration at the border under Title 42. This Trump-era immigration policy allows migrants to be deported to stop COVID-19 spreading. A judge declared Title 42 "likely illegal" last week and issued an injunction. Biden's administration said that they will appeal the decision.
