The Biden administration plans on "massive movements" of Haitian migrants in a small Texas border city on flights to Haiti starting on Sunday (September 19), an immigration official said.
The move represents a swift and dramatic response to thousands of people who suddenly assembled under and around a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.
Details are yet to be finalised but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities.
US authorities closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions at the only border crossing in Del Rio after chaos unfolded on Friday, presenting the Biden administration with a new and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching US soil.
US Customs and Border Protection said it was closing the border crossing with Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, “to respond to urgent safety and security needs”.
Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the US and Mexico through knee-deep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders.
Unable to buy supplies in the US, they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
