Tipsheet

Where Did All of These Haitians Come From and Why Are They at the Border Now?

Julio Rosas
Julio Rosas  |  September 22, 2021 4:30 PM

The recent surge in illegal immigrants, whose nationality has mainly been from Haiti, in Del Rio, Texas has brought the border crisis back into the national spotlight, but it has many people asking how did these Haitians get to Del Rio and why now?

For starters, a majority of the Haitians who illegally crossed into the United States to seek asylum did not come directly from Haiti. Due to Haiti's long-standing problems and natural disasters, many Haitians have left the country and settled in other countries in Central and South America, particularly Chile and Brazil.

While speaking with the immigrants at the makeshift camp under the international bridge in Del Rio, we noticed they could speak Spanish. Most Haitians who live in Haiti speak Haitian Creole or French. One man said he had been living in Chile the past few years before recently making his way up towards the United States, another said he was living in Brazil. The evidence the majority of Haitians not coming directly from Haiti is due to discarded identification documents having been found on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.

As to why this particular nationality decided to attempt entry into the United States now, it's for a couple of reasons. One, just like any other group, they have seen how much easier it is to now enter the United States without going through the proper channels since President Joe Biden reversed many of former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. 

Egged on by human traffickers, the Haitians in Latin America decided it was now a good time to enter the United States. While some of the single, adult men are being deported to Haiti, family units are being released by Border Patrol with notices-to-report to continue their process for asylum. The human smuggling organizations and cartels in Mexico have this down to a science, they know how to game the system by flooding an area with people who want to be caught so Border Patrol is bogged down dealing with families and kids. This was evident when Fox News reported over 200 miles of the border did not have a single agent because they were all focused on the makeshift camp under the international bridge.

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While most of the illegal crossings have been stopped with the influx of Texas State troopers and National Guardsmen in Del Rio, it appears the Haitians who are still in Mexico have found other spots along the southwest border to cross.