Mayorkas says images from US border 'horrified' him

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security main Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday images of what appeared to beryllium Border Patrol agents connected horseback rounding up migrants trying to transverse the confederate borderline “horrified” him, but helium stopped abbreviated of calling the caller influx of migrants determination a crisis.

Mayorkas told CNN that “any mistreatment oregon maltreatment of a migrant is unacceptable” and added, “the pictures that I’ve observed troubled maine profoundly.” But helium wouldn’t explicitly accidental whether they reflected mistreatment oregon abuse, deferring alternatively to a promised investigation.

“That defies each of the values that we question to instill successful our people,” Mayorkas said, adding that the section volition code the concern "with afloat force” aft the probe is complete.

The Office of Professional Responsibility is starring the investigation, and volition person unit connected the crushed full-time monitoring the concern successful the borderline municipality of Del Rio, Texas, which has seen an influx of thousands of Haitian migrants fleeing an unstable concern successful their location state and attempting to participate the U.S. done Mexico.

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More than 6,000 Haitians and different migrants person been removed from an encampment successful Del Rio, and Mayorkas predicted a “dramatic change” successful the fig of migrants determination wrong the adjacent 2 to 4 days arsenic it continues the removal process.

The latest summation successful migration astatine the borderline has prompted Republicans to renew attacks connected Democrats for what they accidental is simply a nonaccomplishment to code a situation astatine the U.S. border. But connected CNN, Mayorkas declined to telephone the concern a “crisis,” saying lone that it’s a “heartbreaking situation” and a “tremendous challenge.”

“I by nary means diminish the, the humane contented that it presents, but I privation to beryllium wide that we bash person a program to code it,” helium said.

Mayorkas said 600 Homeland Security employees, including from the Coast Guard, person been brought to Del Rio. He said helium has asked the Defense Department for assistance successful what whitethorn beryllium 1 of the swiftest, large-scale expulsions of migrants and refugees from the United States successful decades.

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Speaking from Del Rio connected Monday, Mayorkas warned Haitians not to travel to the U.S., noting that a impermanent hold successful protections from deportation for Haitians was extended done July 29, those protections nary longer use to caller migrants.

“If you travel to the United States illegally, you volition beryllium returned. Your travel volition not succeed, and you volition beryllium endangering your beingness and your family’s life,” helium said.

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