If you’re wondering why thousands of Haitians are gathered under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, then you’re not alone. Haiti is a poor, impoverished country in Central America. Most people who have escaped Haiti have found themselves stuck near the southern border with Guatemala. But the situation isn’t about refugees. These people are desperate to get to the US and work their way up the food chain.
Thousands of Haitians have gathered under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas
After a weekend of intense protests, the Biden administration is planning to begin deporting Haitians. many of them from the border towns of Tijuana, Mexico, and Del Rio, Texas. As of Monday morning, only about 30 people had been deported. But that number is expected to grow as Haitian deportation flights begin departing from the border towns of Guatemala and the US. In the meantime, many Haitian migrants have been living in Latin. America for years and many of them are now seeking asylum in the United States. because of the economic conditions there.
As of Thursday morning, thousands of Haitians were gathered under a bridge in Del Rio in Texas. which is a city of over 35,000 people. The increase in migrants has overwhelmed the city and the U.S. Border Patrol. The massive number of arrivals has strained. the city’s infrastructure and caused a significant delay in processing people. In the past 48 hours, the number of migrants who had gathered under the bridge had increased from 2,500 to 8,400. and it’s likely that the number of Haitian migrants will increase further on Friday.
Meanwhile, CBP has been scrambling to send more agents to Del Rio and issuing numbers to the migrants. For most of them, the numbers are only temporary and will be used as a placeholder until they file asylum applications. This will likely result in release with a notice to appear in court. However, there is still no way to stop the deportation of Haitians.
They are seeking to enter the US
The U.S. has a disturbing history of relegating asylum seekers to nations. with inadequate infrastructure and a lack of resources to process their claims. But under current federal policy, the U.S. has been forcing asylum seekers back to their home countries despite our obligations under international and domestic law. The government has a responsibility to process asylum claims. but instead, it is relegating these people to countries. with insufficient infrastructure and a dearth of human rights protections.
Asylum seekers have a right to seek asylum in the United States. but this right has been suspended since March 20. While migrants have been turned away in droves from countries such as Honduras and El Salvador. many have been turned away by the Trump Administration. These policy violations are being perpetrated under a little-known provision of the health law. Under Title 42 of the U.S. Code, President Trump can use Title 42 to reject immigrants. despite the fact that Title 42 has been in effect for more than seven years.
They left Haiti long ago
Since the devastating earthquake of 2010, the population of Haiti has been dispersed across the Western hemisphere. with its descendants scattered around the world. In past decades, Haiti was an attractive destination for emigrants. as it offered free land to formerly enslaved people from the United States and a flourishing marketplace for Arab merchants. It was also the jewel in the crown of the fledgling U.S. empire.
The Biden administration has ramped up expulsions to Haiti without allowing migrants to seek asylum in the U.S., deporting thousands of people. The migrant crisis has resulted in widespread political and humanitarian turmoil, and gang violence. devastation from natural disasters, and a low COVID-19 vaccination rate. Many of the Haitian expelled from the U.S. sought refuge in Canada or Mexico but could not get asylum in the U.S. Most of these Haitians have spent the past year. so in an unsecured limbo in northern Mexico, waiting in a stadium to enter Canada or the U.S.
Several Haitian migrants have relocated to the cities of Mexico and South America after the 2010 earthquake. But some of them could not find jobs and could feed their children in their new homes. Some of them eventually returned home, but could not legally obtain a visa and could not support their families. This left them without food, clothes, and medical care, and they have been forced to reapply in the hope that they can find employment.
They have been stuck near Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala
Despite repeated warnings, migrants from Haiti continue to be pushed across the southern border with Guatemala. Immigration officials do not assess their needs for protection or inform them that they can seek asylum in Mexico. Their actions violate international human rights standards. The number of migrants who have been stuck near the border with Guatemala this year has reached nearly 19,000, according to the Migration Policy Institute. In the past, few migrants have been deported to Haiti, but that’s changing.
In response, Mexican officials have activated “voluntary” deportation flights to and within Haiti. an effort to contain the plight of the thousands of Central Americans and Haitians trapped in Tapachula. Meanwhile, the government has facilitated mass expulsions by land of over 10,000 migrants between Aug. 22 and Sept. 28. at the El Ceibo border crossing, near the town of Tenosique in Tabasco state.
Thousands of Haitians are stuck near the southern border of Mexico and Guatemala. with some sleeping in the street or in migrant shelters. According to the newspaper Milenio, 4,000 people have crossed into Mexico via the southern border with Guatemala. While the border has been closed to non-essential traffic. large numbers of migrants have converged on the southern border town of Tapachula. These migrants are waiting for refugee applications to be processed. As the number of migrants continues to increase, the infrastructure of Tapachula is strained.
They have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
TPS is an important humanitarian tool for people living in the United States. Countries like Honduras and El Salvador are plagued by high rates of violence and crime and are considered dangerous. Meanwhile, countries such as South Sudan, Yemen, and Syria are experiencing humanitarian crises and war. These conditions have motivated many U.S. mayors to push for changes in the TPS program. make it easier for these migrants to obtain permanent residency.
The new designation for Yemen means that Yemeni nationals may apply for TPS. Applicants must register their intent to apply during the initial registration period, which runs from July 9, 2021, to March 3, 2023. Applicants must also meet the residency requirement to qualify for TPS. Once the registration period ends, they can then apply for Employment Authorization Documents. The registration period will be 18 months.
This immigration status program covers ten countries. As of November 2017, approximately 300,000 foreign nationals had been granted temporary protected status. To maintain their status, temporary protected status beneficiaries must re-register every year. They cannot be denied protection for criminal or terrorism-related grounds. Therefore, it is vital that applicants re-register to ensure that they can continue to receive their benefits.
They have been living in Mexican cities on the US border
In the last two weeks alone, a record number of Haitians have come to Mexico, many of them seeking asylum. They have not been able to work, can’t access health care, and are targets of criminals. While there are many positive things about Mexico’s recent actions towards asylum seekers. it is important to note that some people argue that the treatment of Haitians is simply serving U.S. wishes. Some analysts say that Mexico has long been under pressure from Washington to halt the migration of unaccompanied children and families across the border.
A recent report shows that the diaspora of Haitians has picked up steam in Mexico in late 2016 and early 2020. The number of Haitians living in Mexico is increasing, with more than 4,000 people living in Tijuana alone. Another study by the Migration Policy Institute estimates that as many as 69,000 Haitians live in Chile. The current numbers aren’t clear, but they’re still a significant number.
Some have given up hope of obtaining asylum in the United States and are settling in Mexico with their families. While their children remain in Brazil, they fear for their safety. Immigration officials in Tijuana have not responded to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment. But other reports suggest that police in Mexico have been discriminatory toward Haitians. While there are many positive factors, a lack of transparency about the situation can make people feel unsafe.
They have been expelled from the US
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that. the government has been sending repatriation flights to Haiti for nearly four months now. The biden administration relies on the Trump-era Title 42 authority to deport migrants from the US-Mexico border. Earlier this month, a representative of DHS confirmed that 43 repatriation flights have been conducted to Haiti since September 19.
Human rights experts have condemned the ongoing mass deportations of Haitian migrants and refugees from the US. This racialized exclusion is a systematic deterrent to asylum seekers and migrants, as it encourages them to return to their countries of origin where they face racial, gender, and xenophobic violence. The UN has issued a statement warning against such discriminatory practices.
The Trump administration’s action is particularly reprehensible. The government is not giving people seeking asylum an opportunity to express their fears or apply for asylum before being deported. In Haiti, two-thirds of Haitians who were deported were sent home under Title 42, which is a mass expulsion policy based on health concerns. Currently, there is a backlog of people at the border seeking protection.
