Migrant camp along Texas border continues to shrink as deportations ramp up

A migrant camp along the U.S.-Mexico border continues to shrink following reports that the government has ramped up its deportations of the nearly 15,000 people camped there.

According to the Associated Press, the camp’s population is now around 4,000 people, significantly smaller from just days ago. 

Many of the migrants are from Haiti. And reportedly due to confusion and misinformation on social media, they attempted to illegally cross into Texas over the weekend, causing widespread media attention. 

So far, the Department of Homeland Security has deported over 1,400 migrants back to Haiti, with another 3,200 in U.S. custody. 

The Biden administration has received criticism from both sides of the aisle for their handling of the crisis, in the Texas border town of Del Rio. Tens of thousands of immigrants have reportedly come to Del Rio in recent weeks, camping in squalid conditions under a bridge while the wait to be processed by U.S. border agents.  

Despite ramping up deportations, DHS is seeking other alternatives for Haitian migrants, such as sending them to countries where they previously had legal residency, such as in Chile or Brazil.

The camp is expected to further decrease in size over the next couple days, with hopes of the camp being empty by next week.