Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas supported the deportation of Haitian migrants on Sunday, calling the US immigration system "broken."
DHS Secretary defended Biden administration in its decision to deport Haitian migrants.
Mayorkas Defended Biden Administration Decision To Deport Haitian Migrants Back To Their Home of Origin
In a recently published article in Newsweek, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed the decision to remove some Haitians from Texas this week was "not a mistake" and was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayorkas said that is how a public health imperative is carried out. The nation is experiencing a pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has Title 42 jurisdiction, which they use to safeguard migrants, local communities, employees, and the general public in the United States. The pandemic is still wreaking havoc on the nation. Title 42 is an immigration policy, not a public health policy.
Thousands of Haitian Migrants Deported to Their Home of Origin
His remarks came after the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday that 2,000 Haitian migrants were deported swiftly after more than 14,000 crossed the Rio Grande into Del Rio, Texas, in the previous week. Deportation flights will continue "on a regular basis," since people may be deported without a chance to apply for asylum under pandemic powers, per The Washington Newsday reports.
In the last week, the US has permitted about 12,400 migrants to temporarily remain in the nation while pursuing their claims before an immigration court. According to Mayorkas, about 8,000 migrants have willingly departed the United States for Mexico in the last week.
The increase of refugees comes after Haiti was struck by a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake this summer, a tragedy made much worse by President Jovenel Mose's murder on July 7 and the country's devastated economy. The DHS was forced to rapidly speed up deportation operations in Texas due to the fast influx of migrants in only one week, prompting outrage from several prominent Democratic legislators, according to a published report in NBC News.
Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Condemned the 'Horrifying' Treatment of the DHS
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dated Friday, Representative Bennie Thompson addressed the problem at the southern border, urging the US government to "do better" to allow refugees to seek asylum safely.
The Biden administration had promised the American people a more humane border approach, Thompson wrote. Del Rio's handling of asylum seekers falls short of expectations. Because the country's situation remains dire, the immediate suspension of repatriation flights to Haiti is the first step toward alleviating the situation, according to a published article in Associated Press.
Thompson condemned the treatment of migrants after watching footage of border patrol officers on horseback reportedly striking out at Haitians with leather reins. According to the Department of Homeland Security, they temporarily stopped the Del Rio horse patrol team on Thursday, and the agents' behavior was being investigated.
As a consequence, the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has called on the Department of Homeland Security to modify its use-of-force policies and improve border patrol officer training. Before placing men and women on the front lines to defend the border and deal with migrants and other vulnerable populations, he believes the USBP should equip them with the greatest available training.
Related Article: Chairman of House Homeland Security Committee Condemns the 'Horrifying' Treatment of DHS to Haitian Migrants
