White House didn't act on suggestions to bolster processing in area where Haitian migrants gathered, emails suggest

Haitian migrants at southern border
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Border Patrol agents offered specific suggestions to bolster processing in Del Rio, Texas, as early as June because of concerns that facilities would become overwhelmed, emails reviewed by ABC News reveal.

Members of the National Border Patrol Council called for the use of digital tablets with wireless data capabilities so they could be used for "early initiation of the migrant intake process immediately after encounters with Customs and Border Protection." The Del Rio Sector Border Patrol management, an arm of the Homeland Security Department, did say over email it was exploring the option. However, "it never materialized into anything of substance," Jon Afinsen, the National Border Patrol Council's vice president told ABC News.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.