The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin to expel single adult male illegal immigrants who have entered the United States in Del Rio, Texas, where an immigration crisis has been building.
Representatives for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and DHS didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time.
“They will be removed and they will be sent back to their country of origin,” Ortiz said of illegal aliens without a legitimate claim to stay in the United States.
More than 10,000 illegal aliens have congregated under and around a bridge in Del Rio as they wait to be processed. Members of Congress and Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano have said the situation is developing into a humanitarian crisis. The majority of the illegal immigrants appear to be of Haitian origin.
Ortiz said that “no one has crossed since midnight” into Del Rio, noting that about 3,300 aliens have been moved from the bridge area. Around 3,000 more are slated to be moved within the next 24 hours, he said.
Border Patrol agents closed the Del Rio Port of Entry late on Sept. 17 in an effort to control the surge of illegal immigrants, and cross-border traffic is being diverted about 60 miles south to Eagle Pass, Texas.
“This temporary closure and shift is necessary in order for CBP to respond to urgent safety and security needs presented by an influx of migrants into Del Rio and is effective immediately,” CBP said in a statement. “It will advance and protect national interests and help ensure the safety of the traveling public, commercial traffic, and CBP employees and facilities.”
Throughout the crisis, the Biden administration has received bipartisan backlash for how it’s handling the swell of illegal immigrants at the country’s southern border.
Val Verde Country Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez said the federal government needs to deploy more resources to the Del Rio area.
And Lozano, a Democrat, has repeatedly demanded that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris provide more support in Twitter posts addressing the two officials.
“Where is the plan to protect our southern border?” he wrote.
Republican members of Congress also have sounded the alarm in recent days.