The Biden Administration is using Immigration and Customs Enforcement Air Operations to fly Central American migrants deep into Mexico under the CDC emergency Title 42 authority. Migrants are then bused to the Guatemalan border for repatriation into several small villages. The practice, meant to ease overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities and reduce repeat crossings, is a departure from the previous administration’s Title 42 expulsion carried out only at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the expulsions are designed to discourage migrants from immediately re-entering by flying them deep into Mexico, rather than border cities. Under the Trump administration, Title 42 was exercised in a manner to provide the most immediate deterrent to the virus, not re-entry.
During a recent press conference in Brownsville, Texas, Mayorkas said, “we are working with Mexico to ensure that the individuals who are subject to the expulsion flights, their needs are addressed. We have a responsibility under the public health authority of the Centers for Disease Control to protect the American public.”
Four flights were carried out last week on Thursday and Friday from McAllen, Texas, to Tapachula, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. Tapachula sits along the banks of the Suchiate River and serves as Mexico’s southern boundary with Guatemala. The flights mark the first time the United States has flown Central Americans into the interior of Mexico. The flights are transporting mostly family units apprehended in the Texas border region.
According to a CBP source, under the previous administration’s interpretation and implementation of the CDC authority, Central American migrants were immediately returned to Mexico and not held in any formal detention setting. The migrants were processed in an outdoor area and expelled immediately to minimize COVID-19 cases coming into the United States.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the expulsions historically were conducted within two hours of the migrant’s illegal entry. The order was not applied to any migrants other than those apprehended at entry and near the immediate border region.
Despite longer detention times needed to arrange and manifest the flights to Mexico, migrants are not allowed to present a claim for asylum, drawing criticism from some migrant rights groups. Asylum Access, a global human rights organization, condemns the new practice.
These expulsions from McAllen to Mexico’s interior, although intended as an offshoot of the emergency CDC authority, lack no formal written agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala.
A request for information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not been received as of press time.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Breitbart Texas, “The United States and Mexico share an interest in sustainable solutions to reduce irregular migration and forced displacement in, from, and through the region.”
It is unknown if any additional flights will take place and if so, the frequency.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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