Haitian Migrants
A group of Haitians reportedly fought Border Patrol agents and attempted to escape after realizing they were being deported while aboard a bus. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council said, "When the migrants found out they were going to be sent back to Haiti, they took the bus over and they fled."
A DHS spokesperson said, "On Tuesday, September 21st, some adult migrants caused two separate disruptions on the tarmac after deplaning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haitian crowd control officers responded to both incidents and resolved the situations. ICE fully respects the rights of all people to peacefully express their opinions, while continuing to perform its immigration enforcement mission consistent with our priorities, federal law and agency policy."
Other migrants at the airport rushed back towards the plane while others threw shoes at the jet. Video footage shows people scrambling for their personal belongings after their bags were dumped out of the plane. Reports claim some migrants were unaware they were returning to Haiti.
Last weekend, the US started flying out migrants from Del Rio, Texas, a town bordering Ciudad Acuña in Mexico. Approximately 13,000 would-be immigrants have gathered under a bridge between Del Rio and Acuña.
A group of Haitians reportedly fought Border Patrol agents and attempted to escape after realising they were being deported while aboard a bus. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council said, "When the migrants found out they were going to be sent back to Haiti, they took the bus over and they fled."
NGO, Partners In Health said, "During a challenging and dangerous period for Haiti, it is unthinkably cruel to send men, women and children back to what many of them do not even call 'home' anymore." About 4,000 people have either been deported or moved to other processing centers, according to DHS.
A US official reported on Tuesday that authorities are also releasing Haitian migrants into the US "on a very, very large scale." They added that many of the migrants have been given notices to appear at immigration offices within 60 days. This approach requires less processing time than having them appear before an immigration court.
Another U.S. official said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday. The Department of Homeland Security has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border. This week they added flights to Tucson, Arizona.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary said, "What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, "If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family’s life."
Wade McMullen, an attorney with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization said, "Everybody in this country and around the world should be up in arms about the fact that we have an immigration system that operates as such a black box. Right now, we have no official access to understand what processes are under way, what protections are being provided for the migrants."
One of the migrants that was processed and released on Monday said, "I felt so stressed. But now, I feel better. It’s like I’m starting a new life."
