Texas Governor Vows to Prevent Del Rio Migrant Surge Disaster From Being Replicated
23:13 GMT 21.09.2021 (Updated: 13:24 GMT 06.08.2022)
© REUTERS / MARCO BELLO
Subscribe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday vowed to deter any large migrant groups threatening to overwhelm US border communities along the southern border with Mexico after the town of Del Rio was inundated by some 16,000 migrants crossing the border illegally.
"There have been reports for a while now about other groups like this that could be coming from other countries... if you are targeting Texas to come to, we're going to show up in force and shut down the border," Abbott said during a press conference. "We're not going to allow the disaster that we saw here in Del Rio to be replicated by additional caravans coming from wherever they may come from."
Abbott emphasized that “failure to enforce laws leads to chaos [and] inhumanity.”
“If you go back a year ago, President Biden campaigned on having an open border in the United States,” the governor continued. “I’m sure most people… had no idea it would lead to the type of chaos that we witnessed just behind me for day after day after day.”
He stated that the Texas legislature provided $3 billion in funding to enable the state to respond at the border.
President Biden's open border policies, according to Abbott, are drawing immigrants from over 150 countries throughout the world. Abbott added there are currently some 8,600 migrants under the Del Rio international bridge waiting to be processed by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Del Rio sector has been sealed off to migrants, Abbott said, adding that they are seeking entry in other vulnerable points along the US-Mexico border.
“Texas is taking unprecedented steps,” said Abbott. “You can see by all of the Texas Department of Public Safety cars, as well as the national guard vehicles, that surround us here — but go for miles on either side of where we are now. They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border.”
On Monday, Abbott wrote to Biden requesting that he proclaim a state of emergency in response to the crisis at the border. However, on Tuesday, Abbott said that there was still no response from the administration on the issue.
A surge of migrants, mostly Haitians, that illegally crossed into the United States in Del Rio, Texas, increased from about 4,000 on Wednesday to more than 16,000 on Saturday.
A Haitian passport is seen in a pile of trash near the International Bridge between Mexico and the U.S., where migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. are waiting to be processed, in Del Rio, Texas, U.S., September 21, 2021
© REUTERS / MARCO BELLO
This comes as footage has emerged on social media showing US Border Patrol agents seemingly pushing and whipping Haitians trying to cross the river near Del Rio on Sunday. An investigation into complaints of maltreatment against immigrants at the border has been initiated.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been put in charge of the border situation but has been widely criticized for a lack of action, said she totally supports an investigation into the incident, adding that "human beings should never be treated that way." And DHS head Alejandro Mayorkas said that "any mistreatment or abuse of a migrant is unacceptable."
Over the weekend, migrants continued to cross the river despite increased security on the US side, including horse-mounted agents. According to the media, several hundred Haitians, including families with small children, crossed back into Mexico from beneath the bridge, because they did not want to go back to their poverty-stricken home country.
Migrants seeking refuge in United States cross the Rio Grande river, with bags and children in tow, back into Ciudad Acuna, Mexico from their camp in Del Rio, Texas, U.S. September 21, 2021.
© REUTERS / ADREES LATIF
At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Trump administration issued the so-called Title 42, a broad public health order that authorizes most migrants to be immediately deported without the opportunity to seek refuge.
Unlike other Trump-issued immigration policies, Biden has maintained this regulation. However, he has exempted unaccompanied youngsters and his government has not expelled most families.
Biden campaigned on a more compassionate immigration policy than his predecessor, which reportedly prompted many immigrants to believe they would be granted access across the US border, but local authorities are simply not capable of accommodating such large numbers seeking the American dream.
