TEXAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he has requested of the Biden administration a federal emergency declaration for Texas over the influx of migrants at the border with Mexico, specifically the thousands of Haitian migrants who have congregated in Del Rio in order to seek asylum.


What You Need To Know

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he has sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting a federal disaster declaration for Texas over the uptick in migrants crossing the border 

  • The Associated Press reports that more than 12,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, have gathered around a bridge located in Del Rio, Texas 

  • The U.S. has undertaken efforts to expel those migrants, on Sunday sending 320 migrants back to Haiti on three flights

  • Seven expulsion flights daily are expected to begin on Wednesday

"This surge poses life-threatening risks to residents of Val Verde County and is quickly overrunning law enforcement and health care and humanitarian resources which were never intended to be used in this capacity. Even the limited federal resources in the area are strained by the large number of individuals illegally crossing into Texas,” Abbott wrote in a news release announcing the request.

It is true that more than 12,000 migrants have gathered around a bridge in Del Rio after crossing from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. The governor puts that number at 16,000. However, according to reporting from the Associated Press, the U.S. is currently undertaking a massive effort to expel those migrants.

More than 320 migrants arrived in Port-au-Prince on three flights Sunday, and Haiti said six flights were expected Tuesday.

The U.S. plans to begin seven expulsion flights daily on Wednesday, four to Port-au-Prince and three to Cap-Haitien, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Flights will continue to depart from San Antonio but authorities may add El Paso, the official said.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating 2010 earthquake. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

Some of the migrants at the Del Rio camp said the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti and the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse make them afraid to return to a country that seems more unstable than when they left.

“In Haiti, there is no security,” said Fabricio Jean, a 38-year-old Haitian who arrived in Texas with his wife and two daughters. “The country is in a political crisis.”

“Families, including infants and children, need food, water, and medical supplies that the local government cannot supply. Thousands of families are immobilized in 100-degree heat as their numbers continue to swell as they wait to be processed by the approximately 64 federal agents in the area,’ Abbott wrote. “Individuals are camping in squalid conditions and bathing in muddy river water, causing great health concerns. The city of Del Rio’s population is approximately 35,000 people and the influx of 16,000 new migrants far exceeds local capabilities. There are not enough medical facilities or resources to care for so many that need medication, are ill, suffer from heat exhaustion, or give birth to children.”

There was no immediate response from the Biden administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.