How the Del Rio camp of Haitians evaporated

Reporting by Todd Bensman on 9/29/21:

DEL RIO, Texas — The migrant encampment under the international bridge here has been liquidated and the 15,000 mostly Haitian illegal migrants who had pooled under it have moved on to different futures (most paroled into the United States, but others flown to their home country of Haiti). Bulldozers have erased all evidence that anything of note ever happened here.

The important takeaway is that, even in this one, limited use, repatriation flights [to Haiti] proved highly impactful as a deterrent that reduced the camp’s population almost immediately. Air repatriation was the single most effective tool the administration brought to bear in liquidating the camp.

If such flights were ever applied border-wide and to a greater number of nationalities, the broader border crisis might be very significantly attenuated.

Many of those who fled the Del Rio camp said they planned to disappear into Mexico City or Monterrey or Tapachula to get their Mexican asylum, work, and bide their time until one thing happens and one thing only: The Biden administration stops the repatriation flights.

Then, they will return to cross the U.S. border.

From the Center for Immigration Studies


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