Texas is blocking migrants from crossing the border with vehicle barriers
US border guards are brutal against migrants
In the United States, the situation on the border with Mexico is spiraling out of control.
Several American vehicles are parked in front of the river on the border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border. “The strategy works,” says Texas Governor Abbott. On the other hand, Haiti in particular are stuck.
DThe US state of Texas is using unprecedented methods to counter the influx of thousands of migrants across the US-Mexico border, according to Governor Greg Abbott. It includes a “steel barrier that prevents people from crossing the border,” the Republican said Tuesday at a news conference in the Texas border city of Del Rio.
The barrier includes vehicles of US officials that have been parked for miles on the banks of the Rio Grande River. “This strategy works,” Abbott said without giving any details.
Over the past few days, thousands of people – many of whom are Haiti migrants – have taken advantage of the opportunity to cross the Border River to Texas when the water level is low.
The situation in Del Rio has come to the fore recently: people are waiting under a bridge in temporary tents there, with the Biden government relying on mass evictions. Governor Abbott’s office said about 16,000 migrants have arrived at the bridge in the past week. Abbott said there were also 8,600 migrants on Tuesday.
State vehicles form a line on the river border with Mexico, where many expatriates from Haiti are currently waiting.
Source: AP / Julio Cortez
Some have since been moved to other camps, the CNN broadcaster reported. According to US media reports, most Haitians do not come directly from Haiti, but have recently resided in South American countries, many probably since the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Most of Haiti’s migrants fall under the so-called Title 42 rule, which the government under Donald Trump enforced at the start of the pandemic and largely sealed borders. This is justified with the risk of introducing Covid-19. Under Biden, the rule was extended with the exception of unaccompanied minors.
Domestically, the pressure on the Biden government is increasing from all sides. Earlier in the week, photos of US border officials on horseback against migrants in Del Rio received particularly strong criticism. Republican Texas Governor Abbott accused Democratic US President Joe Biden of failure: “The Biden government is doing nothing to protect the border.”
