On Sunday, the United States flew more than 320 Haitian migrants to Port-au-Prince, removing them from an encampment in Del Rio, Texas.
An estimated 12,000 migrants, most of them from Haiti, are camped out near a bridge in Del Rio. Haitian officials said six more flights filled with migrants are expected to arrive in the country on Tuesday, and this swift removal could mean the U.S. is about to launch one of the fastest — and largest — migrant expulsions in decades, The Associated Press reports.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said on Sunday that since Friday, about 3,300 migrants have been removed from the camp, and it's his aim to have all migrants out of the area by the end of the week. "We are working around the clock to expeditiously move migrants out of the heat, elements, and from underneath this bridge to our processing facilities in order to quickly process and remove individuals from the United States consistent with our laws and our policies," he said.
Migrant Fabricio Jean told AP people are fearful of returning to Haiti, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a catastrophic earthquake. "In Haiti, there is no security," he said. "The country is in a political crisis."
Many of the migrants left Haiti years ago and have been living in South America. Gary Monsplaisir, who was flown into Port-au-Prince on Sunday with his wife and daughter, moved to Chile in 2017 to work as a tow truck driver. They left for the U.S. because "we're always looking for better opportunities," Monplaisir told AP, and now that they are back in Haiti, he doesn't know where to go. His parents live in Port-au-Prince, but to get to their house, his family would need to go through a gang-controlled area known for its violence. "I'm scared," he said. "I don't have a plan."