The Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of DHS Secretary Alexander Mayorkus, knew as early as July that a huge wave of Haitian migrants was headed to the United States’ Southern border. NBC News reported that agencies including Customs and Border Protection, DHS’ Office of Intelligence, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) all had knowledge that thousands of displaced Haitians were making their way through Central America with plans to cross into the Southern United States.
NBC claims this information is based on reports that three unnamed American officials had opened an investigation into the fiasco at the Southern border; the officials wanted to know why so many Haitians had been able to get to the Southern border so quickly, and all at once.
The report from NBC states that the officials found evidence that the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that it knew the surge was coming as early as July, and the agency “acknowledged the failures internally.” Critics have ripped the agency for what they see as a lack of action to not only prevent the migrant surge but a failure to provide for the thousands who spent multiple days living in squallid conditions under a bridge in Del Rio. Many of the migrants were women and children. Some of the migrants were found bathing in the Rio Grande, and none of them have had proper medical supplies or even food and water.
The National Border Patrol Council president Brandon Judd told Fox News that officials for the Border Patrol had been warned to prepare for the coming Haitian immigrants. They were told that there would be an uptick in migrant traffic, and that they needed to put certain precautions in place. Judd contends that these officials did nothing of the sort.
Further findings from the NBC report show that not only were no precautions put into place and no preparations made for such a large group of migrants, there was infighting among the members of Homeland Security regarding the deportation of the incoming migrants. Those arguing against deporting these refugees cited incidents in Haiti such as the assassination of their president, Jovenel Moise and a devastating earthquake that had hit the island. However, no one mentioned that many of these migrants likely left Haiti before either of these events ever took place.
Those who argued against deporting the Haitian migrants felt it would be inhumane to send them back to such a politically volatile country, particularly when the country would be rebuilding after a hurricane.
Surprisingly, NBC also reported that it was “ultimately the Biden Administration‘s fault” in multiple ways that the Haitian surge caught the state of Texas by surprise. First, they decided not to increase the number of deportations prior to the migrant surge. Then they stopped all deportation flights to Haiti in the wake of the August hurricane. Officials believe this lead many to travel through South America and up Central American pathways that would get them to the United States.
Of course, once the influx was present in Del Rio, Texas, ICE was forced to do something. Many of the immigrants were either flown back to Haiti, while others – particularly mothers with children – were bused into the United States. So far, the location of these migrants is not known. By mid-September, the original 16,000 Haitian migrants had dwindled after 7,200 of them were flown back to Haiti.
DHS Secretary Mayorkas said that up to 30,000 Haitian migrants had attempted to enter at the U. S. Southern border. He also admitted that Homeland Security was not prepared for the rapid influx of migrants at our Southern border.
The result is what we saw during September regarding the migrants housed under the International Bridge in Del Rio.
