Haitian Migrants Clash at the Border Over Deportations

Hundreds of Haitian migrants who have been camping under a bridge in the Texas town of Del Rio and were previously being permitted by U.S. officials to cross back and forth across the border for supplies have now been told they would not be able to return to the U.S. side if they ventured into Mexico again, reports Reuters. More than 12,000 migrants, identified by officials on both sides as mostly Haitian, have been gathering under the bridge in recent days, awaiting immigration processing.

Instead, U.S. officials began removing several thousand people from the camp over the weekend, including some who were later seen arriving in Haiti. At the border, migrants waded deeper to try to evade law enforcement. Mostly men, many barefoot and in boxers, attempted trickier crossings through waist-deep water. Some migrants crossed at another point where water reached their necks. They were met by mounted U.S. Border Patrol officers who were hard-pressed to deter the groups that managed to scatter past them in all directions. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that Haitian officials have beseeched the United States to stop the flights sending migrants back to Haiti because the country is in crisis and cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees. Authorities expected that about 14,000 Haitians will be expelled from the United States over the coming three week