Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas met with Texas officials in Del Rio, Texas on Monday to view the encampment site and to discuss the border crisis.
Accompanied by Commissioner Troy Miller of U.S. Border Protection and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, Mayorkas gave a press briefing on the latest spike in illegal migration that swelled to 16,000 people at the southern border at one point.
DHS Secretary Mayorkas said that resources “commensurate in surge of migration” have been incremented to include 600 agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, and Border Patrol. Border Patrol is actively working with ICE and the U.S. Coast Guard to move migrants from Del Rio to other processing locations within the country, especially within Texas.
3,500 have been moved over the last few days, with an additional 3,000 moved out of the international bridge between Del Rio and Mexico’s Ciudad Acuña on Monday alone.
With the sudden uptick in Haitian irregular migration, Secretary Mayorkas indicated that removal and repatriation flights under CDC’s Title 42 have been accelerated, anticipating between one to three flights a day. Among these removal flights are flights to primordially Haiti, as well as Mexico, Ecuador, and other northern triangle countries.
Those that have been residing within the country on or before July 29 are eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). All other migrants that have illegally crossed since then, especially the thousands witnessed during the last week, are ineligible and subject to immediate deportation.
“The Biden Administration is working with source and transit countries in the region to accept individuals who previously resided in those countries,” Mayorkas said.
“The majority of migrants continue to be expelled under CDC’s Title 42 authority,” Mayorkas said. “Those who cannot be expelled under that authority and do not have a legal basis to remain will be placed in expedited removal proceedings.”
“Trying to enter the U.S. illegally is not worth the tragedy, the money, or the effort,” Mayorkas said. “We have reiterated that our borders are not open and people should not make the dangerous journey. Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion.”
Explaining the consequences of irregular migration, particularly the threat it poses to Americans, he said “to the health and welfare of border communities” and to the lives of “migrants themselves.”
“If you come to the U.S. illegally, you will be returned. Your journey will not succeed and you will be endangering your life, and your family’s life,” Mayorkas added.
“Do not attempt the journey…Irregular migration, the perilous journey, is not the journey to take…for a mission that will not succeed,” he said.
Commissioner Troy Miller offered additional, yet similar remarks: “Our borders are not open, entering the country illegally is a dangerous undertaking, don’t put your life or put your families safety in the hands of smugglers or other criminals who will tell you that our borders are open. Don’t do it.”
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz reiterated that the Del Rio port of entry remains closed, with traffic being rerouted from Del Rio to Eagle Pass to more “effectively manage resources” and “ensure uninterrupted flow of trade and travel.”
The Biden administration has been slammed in recent days not only for the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, but also for failing to address the worsening crisis at the southern border. Upticks in migrant surges have been record-breaking, with numbers not seen in more than 20 years.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also been criticized for preventing the press from fully covering the ongoing situation by restricting flights for two weeks.
Miscommunication and unproductive conversations between the federal government and Texas state government have done little to minimize the devastating impact of illegal immigration, especially as the state government has previously warned that this was going to delve into a humanitarian crisis. Oftentimes, state officials have had to take matters into their own hands due to the bureaucratic nature of the Biden administration.
If DHS officials were being truthful and transparent in the DHS press briefing, Texans can expect a significant decrease in illegal immigration at the southern border in the coming days. Many should already either be deported to other points of origin, or processed at other capable facilities within the country.