Expelled from Texas, returned Haitians lament lost American dream

2021-09-20 15:00:32 GMT2021-09-20 23:00:32(Beijing Time) Sina English

More than 300 Haitians were returned home on Sunday after the United States ejected them from Texas, leaving many of the would-be migrants demoralized and angry that their search for a better life far away from their impoverished country was over.

US border agents began removing groups of mostly Haitian migrants over the weekend from a large makeshift camp they had set up after wading across the Rio Grande separating Mexico and Texas.

The sprawling camp under the international bridge attracted more than 12,000 migrants at one point, dotted with tents and tarpaulins strung up on reeds, as many Haitians who had trekked from as far away as Brazil sought to petition US authorities for entry and to escape rampant poverty and gang violence.

At the Haitian capital's airport, three flights landed with 327 returned Haitians. Several said on arrival they were never told where they were being taken.

"I left Haiti to go find a better future," said Stephanie, who declined to provide her surname. She said she was taken from under the bridge by US agents to a detention facility before being loaded onto the flight.

She said Haiti's economy was unable to provide opportunities for scores of youth like her. "If jobs could be created, we would never have exposed ourselves to this misery in other countries," she said.

In a video message on Sunday, Prime Minister Ariel Henry pledged to help the expelled Haitians and bemoaned the "disturbing" images from the camp.

"It's with great sorrow that we watch on social media, through television and listen on the radio to the tribulations of our brothers and sisters at the border of Mexico and the United States," he said.

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