Biden sparks NEW border crisis: 10,000 Haitians gather under Texas bridge in just a week after president quietly ended deportation flights to the country - FAA bans 'embarrassing' drone flights overhead showing the squalid camp
- The FAA implemented a two-week flight ban over the Acuna International Bridge in the city of Del Rio, Texas
- The agency claims the move was to prevent 'drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border'
- It came hours after Fox News released shocking footage showing thousands of migrants living in squalor under the bridge after crossing the US-Mexico border
- More than 10,000 mostly Haitian migrants are now living in fetid conditions under the bridge
- Senator Ted Cruz said, in the space of eight days, the population has increased from 700 to 10,503
- Cruz blamed Joe Biden for halting deportation flights back to Haiti calling the camp 'a mass of humanity'
The Biden administration has been accused of trying to cover up the extent of the migrant crisis after the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a flight ban over the US-Mexico border to stop drones capturing footage of the more than 10,000 people living camped out under a bridge.
The FAA implemented a two-week flight ban over the Del Rio Port of Entry and the International Bridge in the city of Del Rio, Texas, Thursday night, claiming the move was for 'special security reasons' to prevent 'drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border.'
The ban effectively grounded a Fox News drone hours after the network released shocking footage showing thousands of migrants living in squalor under the bridge as they crossed the US's southern border and waited to be processed by Border Patrol.
More than 10,000 mostly Haitian migrants have gathered there in recent days, in a temporary camp which has have ballooned since Joe Biden halted deportation flights back to Haiti.
The president canceled deportation flights of migrants to Haiti on September 8 and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended temporary protected status (TPS) to Haitian nationals while the country is rocked by its biggest crises since the 2010 earthquake.
Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz said that, in the space of just eight days, the population at the camp has surged from 700 on September 8 to 10,503 on September 16.
The Biden administration has been accused of trying to cover up the extent of the migrant crisis after the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a flight ban over the US-Mexico border to stop drones capturing footage of the more than 10,000 people living camped out under a bridge
The footage shows thousands of mostly Haitian migrants gathered under the bridge after crossing the US-Mexico border
Migrants are seen bythe Del Rio Port of Entry and the International Bridge in the city of Del Rio, Texas, Thursday nightiThe number of people crossing the southern border from Mexico into the US has surged in recent months to record numbers not seen in two decades, after Biden overturned some of Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sends National Guard troops to 'deter crossings' after announcing he was SHUTTING ports of entry - before backtracking an hour later
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent National Guard troops and officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety to the state's ports of entry to 'deter crossings' of migrants into the state.
Abbott made the announcement hours after he said he was shutting down six ports of entry - before backtracking an hour later.
The Republican governor said Thursday he had been asked by US Customs and Border Protection to shutter the points of entry along the border to 'stop these caravans from overrunning our state' as he hit out at the Biden administration for 'sheer negligence' in handling the rise in border crossings.
However, just one hour later, he backpedaled on the unprecedented move, claiming the Biden administration had 'flip-flopped' on its request, reported the Houston Chronicle.
'Six hours after U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested help from Texas to close ports of entry and secure the border, the Biden administration has now flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead makes it easier for people to cross illegally and for cartels to exploit the border,' he said.
'The Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan.'
Instead, Abbott directed troops to 'maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings.'
The DHS denied asking for help and saying it would be a violation of federal law if Texas closed the ports.
'[The Biden administration] is not seeking assistance from the State of Texas to shut down ports of entry,' it said in a statement.
'It would be a violation of federal law for the Texas National Guard to unilaterally do so,' the statement said.
Only the federal government has the power to close down the ports of entry.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent National Guard troops to the state's ports of entry to 'deter crossings' of migrantsIn July, the numbers reached a 20-year high with more than 200,000 people crossing into the US from Mexico while another 195,000 migrants were detained last month.
Border Patrol is struggling to process the sheer volume, as around 60,000 Afghans also expected to be resettled in America after the US pulled all troops out of the country in August.
Now, thousands more are now fleeing to the US from Haiti after the Caribbean nation plunged into turmoil this summer with the assassination of its president followed by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in August, which killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed 100,000 homes.
Others have traveled from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, with many paying human smugglers to help them make the perilous journey across the Rio Grande River.
After reaching Texas, conditions in the Del Rio camp aren't much better, with food and clean water in short supply and dangerously high temperatures.
According to the top Border Patrol union official in the Del Rio Sector Jon Anfinsen, there are only 20 portable toilets at the site, reported the Washington Post, while many migrants are crossing back into Mexico to get access to basic supplies.
There are also fears the squalid, cramped conditions will serve as a breeding ground for COVID-19.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it is increasing its manpower to the Del Rio area to try to speed up the processing of migrants camped out under the bridge, which connnects Del Rio in Texas to Mexico's Ciudad Acuña.
The agency said in a statement that 'the shaded area underneath Del Rio International Bridge is serving as a temporary staging site while migrants wait to be taken into USBP custody.'
Cruz blasted Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris - who was tasked by the president with tackling the migrant crisis - on Fox Thursday night, saying he had 'never seen anything like' the FAA ban and he accused the White House of trying to stop the public seeing the truth of the crisis.
'The drone footage started this morning, and people across the country were horrified, and I guess the political operatives at the Biden White House saw that and decided the last thing they want is Fox News actually reporting on what's happening down here,' he said.
Fox's Sean Hannity said the ban - which stops it and any other network from capturing aerial footage - is an attempt to 'cover up for Biden's failures.'
The FAA 'is trying to prevent Fox's drone from showing you the American people the truth and capturing images just like this,' he said.
'In other words, the FAA is being used to cover up for Biden's failures. And we are going to let that stand? I don't think so.'
The network had been flying drones over the border for the last seven months without issue, according to Fox News national correspondent Bill Melguin - until the latest damning footage of the crisis emerged.
The FAA released a statement Thursday denying there is any a political motive to the grounding of flights and said the media can request permission for flights.
'The Border Patrol requested the temporary flight restriction due to drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border,' it said.
'As with any temporary flight restriction, media is able to call the FAA to make requests to operate in the area.'
DailyMail.com has reached out to the FAA to ask for specific examples where drones have interfered with law enforcement flights, thus creating the need for the ban.
Migrants seeking asylum in the US walk in the Rio Grande river near the International Bridge between Mexico and the US Thursday as they wait to be processed, in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico
Food and water has been scarce in the makeshift camp, and temperatures have risen to around 99 Fahrenheit
The camp had swelled to some 10,000 migrants on Thursday, with thousands seen wading across the Rio Grande River daily
Thousands are fleeing to the US from Haiti after the Caribbean nation plunged into turmoil this summer with the assassination of its president followed by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in August
Migrants are seen close around the bridge Thursday. Most are from Haiti while others have traveled from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua
Migrants cross the Rio Grande river heading to the makeshift camp under the bridge which is now home to more than 10,000
The FAA imposed a two-week flight restriction banning drones from flying in the area, citing unspecified security concerns
Republican Senator Cruz - one of Biden's fiercest critics - shared new footage of the Del Rio bridge from the ground and claimed the 'mass of humanity' living there had doubled overnight from around 4,000 Wednesday morning to over 10,000 Thursday night.
'This is a man-made crisis. Eight days ago, on September 8, under that same bridge, there were between 700 and 1,000 people,' he said.
'That was what was coming a day — about 1,000, sometimes 1,100 — but it would range between 700 and 1,100.'
'Right now, as we're speaking, there are 10,503 people under that bridge. It is packed in as a mass of humanity,' he told Sean Hannity.
'The scope of it, until you see it… it just goes on and on and on. Infants, little children, people struggling enormously.'
Around 85 percent of all migrants living under the bridge have come from Haiti, Cruz said, after Biden canceled deportation flights for Haitians.
'On September 8th, the Biden administration made a decision to cancel deportation flights back to Haiti,' he said.
Cruz said this decision led migrants to contact their friends and families who then also fled to the border.
Fox News' Bill Melugin published drone images showing the overcrowded camp
'And [when the Biden administration] made that decision eight days ago, the 700 to a thousand people who were here discovered they could stay, they pulled out their cell phones,' he said.
'They called their friends, they called their family, and eight days later, 700 people became 10,503.'
Cruz added: 'If you're from Haiti, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have said we have open borders, come to Del Rio and they will let you in.'
Cruz blasted it a 'manmade disaster' brought about by 'political decisions' which are 'inviting suffering' as he demanded Biden reopen deportation flights.
'This is a disaster and it is a man made disaster. It is the result of political decisions and Joe Biden could end this tomorrow by simply following the law and reinstating deportation flights back,' he said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday he was ordering National Guard troops and officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety to 'deter crossings' at the state's ports of entry - after he first announced he was shutting them down.
The Republican governor said Thursday he had been asked by US Customs and Border Protection to shutter six points of entry along the border to 'stop these caravans from overrunning our state' as he hit out at the Biden administration for 'sheer negligence' in handling the rise in border crossings.
Senator Ted Cruz said, in the space of eight days, the population under the bridge has increased from 700 to 10,503
Numbers in the temporary camp are said to have ballooned since Joe Biden (pictured Friday) halted deportation flights back to Haiti
This chart shows the number of unaccompanied minors stopped at the southern border over the last four years
However, just one hour later, he backpedaled on the unprecedented move, claiming the Biden administration had 'flip-flopped' on its request, reported the Houston Chronicle.
'Six hours after U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested help from Texas to close ports of entry and secure the border, the Biden administration has now flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead makes it easier for people to cross illegally and for cartels to exploit the border,' he said.
'The Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan.'
Instead, Abbott directed troops to 'maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings.'The DHS denied asking for help and saying it would be a violation of federal law if Texas closed the ports, as only the federal government has the power to do so.
'[The Biden administration] is not seeking assistance from the State of Texas to shut down ports of entry,' it said in a statement.
'It would be a violation of federal law for the Texas National Guard to unilaterally do so,' the statement said.
Meanwhile, Biden is also coming under fire from human rights advocates who revealed - despite the deportation ban - a flight did in fact expel Haitians from the US this week.
The DHS admitted that 86 Haitian nationals were loaded onto a flight by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sent back to the Caribbean country Wednesday.
Migrants bathe and wash their clothes in the Rio Grande river near the International Bridge between Mexico and the US
Officials said some migrants are crossing back into Mexico in order to get basic supplies while there are said to be just 20 portable toilets for use by 10,000 people
Most of the migrants are from Haiti, a nation that has been ravaged by an earthquake as well as political unrest. Pictured the Fox footage
Border Patrol has been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of those crossing the border in recent months and processing people is slow
They were deported under the Title 42 order - a Trump-era policy where migrants are repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat, slammed the move 'cruel and callous' and called on Biden to end Title 42.
'The Biden Administration must immediately halt all deportations to Haiti, return these individuals to the United States, and abandon the harmful Title 42 order that has been weaponized to deny families their fundamental right to seek asylum,' said Pressley, according to The Hill.
'The Biden Administration has a moral obligation to lead with compassion and support those fleeing from the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Haiti.'
On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to stop using Title 42, with the order taking effect in 14 days.
Judge Emmett Sullivan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said the policy denies migrants the 'opportunity to seek humanitarian benefits.'
The humanitarian issue at the Del Rio bridge is just the latest example of the migrant crisis at the US's southern border with Mexico.
An unknown number of migrants have died along the perilous journey while unaccompanied children have been abandoned at the border in their droves by people smugglers paid by desperate parents to send their young ones to a better life in the US.
Disturbing images this week show two young Honduran children found dumped in the reeds near the shore of the Rio Grande river Tuesday.
A two-year-old girl from Honduras and her two-month-old brother were rescued by U.S. Border Patrol agents Tuesday after they were found on the riverbank of the Rio Grande
A U.S. Border Patrol agent tends to the two Honduran children who were abandoned on the riverbank of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Tuesday
A six-year-old boy from El Salvador was found alone at a Wal-Mart in Brownsville, Texas, last Thursday. CBP figures provided in August showed that 113,791 unaccompanied children have been stopped for crossing the United States-Mexico border since October 1, 2001A two-year-old girl was discovered with a car seat containing her three-month-old brother, CBP revealed.
Officers assigned to the Eagle Pass South Station were patrolling the river that serves as the border between the United States and Mexico when they spotted an 'unusual color on the riverbank.'
The agents stopped their boat operation and found the girl sitting on the grass next to the car seat.
Agents said a note was found under the baby's carrier explaining that the pair were siblings, but did not reveal its exact contents. The children did not require medical attention and were taken to a nearby facility.
It comes five days after police found a six-year-old boy at a Wal-Mart in Brownsville, Texas.
The Salvadoran child was left behind alone at the store on Thursday and turned over to the Brownsville Border Patrol Station. He provided agents a note with the contact information for his aunt in Houston.
In late August, U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued two Ecuadorian girls who were able to call 911 after they were left stranded in the desert outside Ocotillo, California.
On March 30, two sisters -also from Ecuador - were dumped by smugglers over a 14-foot high border wall in New Mexico. They were later reunited with their parents, who live in the New York area.
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