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Sep 22, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Report: U.S. releasing Haitian migrants on "very large scale"

Mike Allen
Migrants' encampment along the International Bridge near the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, on Tuesday.

Migrants' encampment along the International Bridge near the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, on Tuesday. Photo: Julio Cortez/AP

Many Haitian migrants camped in the Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the U.S., two federal officials tell AP.

Driving the news: Haitians have been freed on a "very, very large scale" in recent days, according to one U.S. official, who put the figure in the thousands.

What's happening: Many are released with notices to appear (NTA) at an immigration office within 60 days. That takes less processing by Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court.

  • The Homeland Security Department is busing Haitians to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley, and this week added flights to Tucson.
Texas Department of Safety vehicles line up along the bank of the Rio Grande to try to block new migrants.
Texas Department of Safety vehicles line up along the bank of the Rio Grande to try to block new migrants. Photo: Photo: Julio Corte/AP
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