Despite the official announcement that Haitian migrants in Texas would be deported immediately, thousands of them have been released, two anonymous US government officials reported.
Some of these immigrants have been released on notice to report to an immigration office within 60 days. This solution requires less processing time for Border Patrol agents than ordering them to appear before an immigration court, and is intended to speed up the times at which authorities are moving.
The Department of Homeland Security has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week included flights to Tucson, Arizona, the source said. That is where the Border Patrol is processing the migrants.
In recent days, US authorities scrambled to find buses to Tucson, but resorted to flights when they could not find enough transport contractors, the two officials said. Coast Guard planes flew the Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.
These mass releases contradict statements made by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who travelled to the city to respond quickly to the situation.
"If you come to the United States illegally, you will be deported, your journey will be unsuccessful and you will be endangering your life and the lives of your family," Mayorkas told a press conference.
According to some estimates, more than 14,000 people entered the town of 35,000 people illegally. However, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the settlement was about 8,600 people.
The criteria for deciding who is deported to Haiti and who is released on US soil remain unclear, although the two officials pointed out that priority in deportation flights is given to single adults.