According to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the temporary Haitian migrant camp, which held 15,000 people in Del Rio, Texas over the past week, has been removed. However, President Joe Biden is still facing a humanitarian and political crisis due to disturbing images of desperate Haitians living under bridges.
As seen from Ciudad Acuna in Mexico on September 21, 2021, Haitian migrants crossed the Rio Grande to obtain food and water in Mexico. One camp set up across the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas held approximately 15,000 migrants.
The majority of asylum seekers arrived in America after making dangerous crossings from South America to Mexico. Their increasing numbers prompted the Department of Homeland Security last weekend to remind them that "our borders are not open."
To manage the situation, the U.S. escalated deportations to Haiti and sent hundreds of Border Patrols agents out to Del Rio.
Many Americans were shocked to see Border Patrol agents riding on horses using whip-like cords in order to prevent Haitians from entering the country. Republicans also criticized the president for not being more aggressive on illegal immigration.
Mayorkas stated that 15,000 migrants were present in the camp at the time. About 8,000 crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico "voluntarily", while 2,000 were deported back to Haiti. The remaining 5,000 were moved to other places as they await removal proceedings.
Mexican authorities cleared another camp in Acuna, Mexico that migrants used to get to the U.S. on Friday after warning those still there that they would send them to a city near the border with Guatemala.
