A human-rights catastrophe has taken shape on the border in Texas — and it has happened on the Biden administration’s watch. Monday, the nation saw horrifying images of Border Patrol officials appearing to chase and confront asylum seekers, who were largely Haitian, near the international bridge between Coahuila, Mexico, and Del Rio, Texas.
Images and video of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback grabbing and chasing down Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border have prompted the Department of Homeland Security to launch an investigation into the matter, the agency said on Twitter.
The U.S. is the last hope for many long-displaced Haitians. But a Trump-era rule that’s still in effect is leaving them to suffer.
“The very least the United States can do is set a resettlement goal that meets the moment”
The Biden administration is continuing a long history of exclusionary policy against Haitian asylum seekers.
The Biden administration’s response to the migrant crisis comes straight from Trump’s playbook: try to deter more from coming. It’s not working.
“It’s a very difficult process for all of us,” said Fisime, 24, a slim graphic designer wearing a T-shirt, shorts and green high-tops. “I had faith and I made it to the U.S. You have to try.”
The deportation of Haitian migrants is a stark example of how President Biden has deployed some of the most aggressive approaches to immigration put in place by former President Donald J. Trump.
When the Supreme Court effectively revived a cornerstone of Trump-era migration policy late last month, it looked like a major defeat for President Biden.
Almost immediately after President Joe Biden took office, his administration started to roll back his predecessor Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required many asylum seekers who arrive at the United States’ southern border to stay in Mexico while they await a hearing on their asylum claim.
