Jul 30, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Biden administration reinstates fast-track deportation flights

Oriana González

Picture of a migrant child standing in front of border patrol officers. — Guatemalan immigrant Yamari Yaneli, 1, waits with her family for U.S. Border Patrol agents to transport them to a processing center. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

The Biden administration on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights to Central America, the Department of Homeland Security announced.

The big picture: Officials said Monday that they were planning to resume "expedited removal flights" following an increase in the number of migrants crossing into the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the Washington Post reports.

DHS said that families apprehended by Customs and Border Protection were returned to their countries in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Details: Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights departed from Texas with 73 people, less than the 147 adults and children who were originally set to travel, the Post notes, citing DHS officials.

Several families were unable to travel after testing positive for the coronavirus or having been in contact with someone infected, per the Post.

What they're saying: "Irregular migration to the United States is dangerous and may carry long-term immigration consequences. The journeys is especially dangerous for families and children, including teenagers," DHS said in a press release.

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Biden administration reinstates fast-track deportation flights

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