The Biden administration ''must recognize'' the Haitian migrant surge at the U.S.-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, as a national security crisis and deploy the National Guard to help Border Patrol agents with ''more resources to control the situation,'' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday.
More than 10,000 mainly Haitian migrants are sheltering under a bridge in Del Rio as part of a new surge of migration to that stretch of the border.
"It is no coincidence this is happening as Democrats in Congress are moving to pass legislation that would grant immediate citizenship for up to 10 million illegal immigrants," McCarthy said in a statement. "This is a wake-up call to Democrats that their policies are putting American lives in danger and must be abandoned."
McCarthy said Border Patrol agents have apprehended people on the terrorist watch list and seized fentanyl.
''This is not just a humanitarian crisis. This is a direct threat to the safety of Americans across the country,'' he added.
''It also has been reported that the airspace over the border had been restricted to a news organization. I understand it has recently been reopened but great clarity is needed on why it was closed in the first place.''
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to ramp up deportation flights to Haiti over the next week, according to internal documents obtained by NBC News.
The Border Patrol on Thursday said it would send more agents to the region ''to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane and orderly process.'' The area under the bridge, the agency said, was to ''prevent injuries from heat-related illness'' while migrants were waiting to be taken into custody.
The swelling crowds have created a humanitarian challenge for the Biden administration. Many are sleeping on dirt and dealing with triple-digit heat amid deteriorating sanitation conditions.
''The Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan,'' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, referring to President Joe Biden’s decision to end the United States' longest war.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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