Report: DHS Flew Migrants North to South for Expulsion

The Biden administration flew migrants attempting to illegally cross into the United States at the northern border down to the southern border to expel them using the Trump-era public health edict known as Title 42, the Daily Caller reported.

Citing a federal government official familiar with the matter, the outlet reported that the migrant flights began with a program to relocate Border Patrol agents from the U.S.-Mexico border to the shared border with Canada to help handle the surge in illegal crossings. From October 2022 to January, Border Patrol saw an 846% increase in migrant encounters and apprehensions at the Swanton Sector of the northern border compared to the same time period the previous fiscal year.

Operated by contractor World Atlantic Airlines, the Title 42 flights have been prohibitively expensive and are not likely to continue, with each costing between $150,000 and $200,000, the Caller’s source said.

According to a Department of Homeland Security internal memo, the Canadian border’s second flight carrying migrants departed Plattsburgh, New York, bound for El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. The flight reportedly carried Mexican nationals who had crossed into the U.S. illegally from Canada. Mexican travelers don’t need a visa to fly to a Canadian airport; all that is required is an Electronic Travel Authorization, which costs $7 Canadian dollars.

Title 42 was initially invoked by the Trump administration to stop the spread of COVID-19 and has been used to expel migrants more than 1 million times. The Biden White House is set to end Title 42 May 11.

Customs and Border Protection agents encountered more than 68,000 migrants at the U.S.-Canadian border between October 2022 and February, as well as approximately 109,000 in fiscal year 2022, according to agency data.

Of the total number of migrant encounters, more than 3,600 Mexicans were encountered at the northern border between October 2022 and February 2023, surpassing the number encountered in fiscal year 2022 by roughly 400, according to CBP.

• N.Y. Sheriff Pleads for More Help on Border
• CBP Transfers Agents North to Combat Migrant Influx at US-Canada Border