Hoping to stop the flow of migrants, the United States on Sunday tried to block the Mexican border at an isolated Texas town where thousands of Haitian refugees have set up a camp, but the migrants quickly found other ways to cross nearby. The attempted border closure happened as officials also began flying some of the migrants back to their homeland. About a dozen Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles lined up near the bridge and river where Haitians have been crossing from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, for almost three weeks. Yellow police tape was being used to block them from using a small dam to walk into the U.S. A Mexican police officer on the Mexican side of the border said migrants will not be allowed to cross anymore. He would not give his name. But an Associated Press reporter saw Haitian immigrants still crossing the river into the U.S. about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) east of the previous spot. Several hundred were sitting along the river bank on the U.S. side as 50 to 60 at a time made the crossing to and from Mexico through waist-deep water. There were a few U.S. officers observing the crossings, but taking no steps to stop them. Many of the migrants have lived in Latin America for years, but they are now are seeking asylum in the U.S. as economic opportunities in Brazil and elsewhere dry up. Thousands are living under and near a bridge in Del Rio. Meanwhile, the U.S. sent three flights of Haitians taken from Del Rio back to their homeland, and that number is expected to reach at least six per day shortly, according to a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to discuss the issue publicly. The planes left San Antonio and were expected to arrive Sunday afternoon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. A large number of buses arrived Sunday in Del Rio, and “many, many more” are coming to transfer Haitians to expulsion flights, U.S. immigration detention centers and Border Patrol holding facilities. Departure cities for Haiti-bound flights have yet to be finalized and are being “actively planned,” the official said. The blockade and deportations marked a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a Texas city of about 35,000 people roughly 145 miles (230 kilometers) west of San Antonio. It sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people. At the Port-au-Prince airport Sunday, about a dozen officials from various Haitian government agencies gathered to meet with the deported Haitians. Public security officials with the Ministry of Justice requested the presence of Haiti’s national police to prevent any potential violence. A minibus from the International Organization of Migration also was posted at the airport. It was filled with brightly colored bags containing toiletries, hand sanitizer and hair ties. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry wrote Sunday on Twitter that he is concerned about conditions at the border camp and that the migrants would be welcomed back. “We want to reassure them that measures have already been taken to give them a better welcome upon their return to the country and that they will not be left behind,” he tweeted. […]

The post US Closes Part Of Texas Border, Begins Flying Haitians Home appeared first on The Yeshiva World.