'The Situation Is Bad': North Miami Commissioner Alix Desulme Visits Texas For Haitian Migrant Crisis Fact-Finding Mission
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Del Rio, Texas, where close to 14,000 migrants are encamped under an international bridge and surrounding areas.
Officials expect that number to rise to at least 20,000 in the coming days.
The situation is being called one of the largest humanitarian crisis the country has experienced in a long time. It's why North Miami leaders are heading to the area in hopes of helping.
"I'm actually in Del Rio, where the situation is occurring on the border," said North Miami City Commissioner Alix Desulme. "And it's really to come assess what's going on."
Desulme says he couldn't stand idling by and watch his fellow Haitian suffer.
"It's one thing when you see it yourself and it's another when you're hearing it from folks," he said. "So it was important for me to come and hear from the immigration experts."
The nearly 14,000 migrants are waiting to be processed by border patrol.
"Folks are coming over and across as though there is no border," said Congressman Tony Gonzales.
Gonzales says something needs to be done to control the chaos.
"Please get engaged, get involved, do something," he said. "This is unsustainable. This is not America. This is not the way things should be."
Many of the migrants began their journey in South America, making the dangerous trek through the jungle known as the Darien Gap, which separates Colombia from Panama.
Since July, apprehensions of Haitian migrants have increased 37%. Many don't want to go back to Haiti because of last months' devastating earthquake.
But ICE has resumed deportation flights back to the county – news that isn't sitting well with Desulme.
"The situation is bad because these folks are not from Haiti. They are Haitian but they are from different parts of the world," said Desulme. "Some of them haven't been there for years, so we don't know where they're going to in Haiti."
City officials say this is a fact-finding mission and they want to gather as much information to figure out how they can be of assistance.
