Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said as many as 12,000 Haitian migrants were released into the United States as they await immigration trials after arriving at the U.S. Mexico border.
Sept.26 (UPI) — Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that as many as 12,000 Haitian migrants who made their way to the U.S.-Mexico border have been released into the United States. In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Mayorkas said that approximately 10,000 to 12,000 migrants detained in Del Rio, Texas, in recent weeks have been released into the United States. Another 3,000 remain in detention, while 5,000 are being processed by the Department of Homeland Security, and in a separate interview with CNN’s State of the Union, he said 4,000 have been expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42. Mayorkas told Fox News Sunday that the number of migrants released into the United States and returned to Haiti could both “be even higher” as their cases are processed. “We will make determinations whether they will be returned to Haiti based on our public health and public interest authorities,” he said. Speaking of the approximately 12,000 migrants released into the country, Mayorkas said that individuals placed in immigration court proceedings go before a judge where they can make a claim of asylum or other claims to remain in the United States and are permitted to remain or removed based on the judge’s ruling. He added that the United States has “enforcement guidelines” in place to ensure that people who have recently crossed the border and do not show up for their hearings are removed.
