Through White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden is expressing outrage over the scenes at the U.S.-Mexican border, and has announced an investigation into the actions of the Border Patrol agents on horseback who were seen chasing Haitian immigrants in videos which have gone viral. The Department of Homeland Security has suspended the use of horse patrols on the border. But there has been no letup in the number of flights leaving Texas or Florida carrying deportees back to Haiti; in fact, as of yesterday the number of daily flights increased to seven in order to maximize the numbers to be returned to Haiti. Since the first flights on Sept. 19, a total of 19 flights have transported deportees back to Haiti, involving almost 2,000 people, 40% of whom are children, according to UNICEF.
The situation at the Port-au-Prince airport is hideous. Some of the deportees who get off the plane try desperately to get back on again, and there have been cases where angry deportees have attacked the pilot. “Luggage,” such as it is, is dumped on the tarmac and people have to scramble to get what belongs to them—sometimes just plastic bags with some clothing. UNICEF expressed great concern for the arriving children, many of whom were born in other countries and are not Haitian citizens. They are being forced into a country which can offer them no protection, no adequate housing or healthcare. One Haitian Senator today referred to his country as a “death camp.”
