DHS Admits 70% of Haitian Migrants Already Released in US

The Department of Homeland Security said Sunday that they released a majority of Haitian migrants caught crossing the US border. More will follow their Haitian brethren into the US soon. 

RELATED: Over 15,000 Migrants Cause Del Rio Food Shortages

Majority of Haitian MIgrants Cases Being Heard

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted most Haitian migrants caught at the US border have already secured their release into the US.

Around 12,400 people are having their cases heard by immigration judges. In addition, the DHS is processing the release of another 5,000 Haitians while 3,000 remain in detention. 

Mayorkas appeared on Fox News Sunday over the weekend When asked how many of the Haitian migrants already made it for release, he gave his reply.

“Approximately, I think it's about ten thousand or so, twelve thousand” then acknowledged that numbers could go up. “It could be even higher. The number that are returned could be even higher. What we do is we follow the law as Congress has passed it,” he added. 

Catch and Release Policy

US immigration policy currently adheres to a “Catch and release policy” where officials release a migrant to a US community while waiting for scheduled hearings.

This is an alternative to holding migrants in immigration detention centers. Mayorkas said that the Biden administration “will make determinations whether they will be returned to Haiti based on our public health and public interest authorities.”

Asked about what happens to released migrants, Mayorkas said that those released have conditions placed on them. DHS monitors these migrants and ensures their appearance in court. 

‘The System Will Work’

Meanwhile, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace noted that the Department of Justice said 44% of released migrants miss their court appearances.

When Wallace pointed out that statistic to Mayorkas, the latter insisted that the system will work. “We have enforcement guidelines in place that provide the individuals who are recent border crossers who do not show up for their hearings are enforcement priorities and will be removed,” he said.

Then, Wallace also noted that 11 million migrants are already staying in the US illegally. Mayorkas replied that the 11 million is evidence that the current system remains “broken” and needs reform.

30,000 Haitians Crossed The US Border Since Sept 9

The Biden administration confirmed that since September 9, roughly 30,000 Haitians crossed into Del Rio, Texas. Wallace asked why authorities did not stop them. Mayorkas replied that the administration reacted after the fact.

“We surged our resources, we surged our personnel,” he said. In addition, Wallace asked why the US still won’t continue building the wall. “We do not agree with the building of the wall.

The law provides that individuals can make a claim for humanitarian relief. That is actually one of our proudest traditions,” Mayorkas replied. 

Mayorkas also faced questions about narrative. Pictures of border patrol agents using whips against migrants surfaced last week.

Mayorkas said that the images “painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation's ongoing battle against systemic racism”. However, the photographer did clarify that he “never seen them whip anyone.”

Agents Whipping Migrants Was a Myth

Even with the photographer’s denial, President Joe Biden insisted on the narrative that agents are now whipping people. The President vowed that “those people will pay” even as the National Border Patrol Council denied anybody whipped anyone.

For his part, Mayorkas said that the incident “is the subject of an investigation” which the facts will determine. 

Watch the Ruposi HR Video featuring Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace full segment with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas:

What do you think is happening at the southern US border? Do you agree with immigration’s catch and release policy?

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