DHS Begins Expedited Removal of Some Migrant Families Apprehended at Border

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began flights to remove some migrant families designated for expedited removal. The order for expedited removal applies to some migrant families who illegally crossed the U.S. border from Mexico who cannot be removed under Title 42 coronavirus protection protocols.

“Asylum and other legal migration pathways should be readily available to those who need them, and this Administration is committed to fairly and efficiently considering asylum claims,” DHS officials said in a written statement announcing the flights. “Those not seeking protection or who do not qualify will be promptly returned to their country of origin.”

The department began removing certain migrant families by utilizing expedited removal flights operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday. DHS officials said the order applies to some migrant families who illegally entered the country recently, cannot be expelled under Title 42, and who have no legal basis to remain in the U.S.

“The expedited removal process is a lawful means to securely manage our border, and it is a step toward our broader aim to realize safe and orderly immigration processing, DHS officials explained. “By placing into expedited removal families who cannot be expelled under Title 42, we are making clear that those who do not qualify to remain in the United States will be promptly removed.”

While the Biden administration continues to claim it is managing a “safe, orderly, and humane” migration system, Democrat officials in South Texas appear to disagree. Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez recently called on President Joe Biden to come to his border community to “witness first-hand the challenges being created by current policy,” Breitbart Texas reported.

On Thursday, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) took issue with the Biden administration’s policy of deporting migrants while purposely not reporting the numbers. He said the White House is “purposely” not reporting the numbers of migrants being deported because “they don’t want to offend the left, the immigration activists by showing deportations.”

Cuellar said this practice sends a dangerous message to migrants that if you get into the U.S., you won’t be deported.

The Texas border-district congressman continued, saying:

Have you seen one single photo of somebody being deported? No. All you see is people coming in. So, it’s a message, don’t come, but at the same time, you’ve got to show people being deported. With all due respect to the White House, they don’t want to offend the left, the immigration activists by showing deportations, but a lot of people are being deported right now.

Cuellar said he believes this directly undermines the “don’t come” message from the administration.

In the meantime, Border Patrol officials along the Texas border with Mexico have become overwhelmed by the record numbers of migrant crossings. So much so that Del Rio Sector agents are now having to hold migrants in an outdoor detention area because the recently constructed soft-sided facilities cannot hold another migrant, Breitbart Texas reported on Sunday.