Little Haiti Empty

Campsite Under Del Rio Port of Entry Scraped Clean

By now, most folks following the Border Crisis already know that the last of the Haitian illegal aliens have been taken out from under the Port of Entry in Del Rio, and dispersed to various locations around the state and around the country for processing.

Port of Entry Cleanup Image Courtesy: Associated Press, Julio Cortez 9/24

Most, will be allowed to stay in the United States with various NTA and NTR paperwork. An NTA is what’s called a “Notice to Appear,” and an NTR is what’s called a “Notice to Report.”

The difference is in how much time it takes to process either one, and how quickly the alien is supposed to appear for a hearing in front of a magistrate.

The sad fact is that while some will follow the rules, some— perhaps most— will not, and there will be no real penalty for doing so. There is no one keeping track of these people. They will simply disappear into the United States. Some of those will be harmless. Some will not, and will later commit crimes— some violent, others petty. Some will pay taxes. All will be a burden on various social services, hospital emergency rooms, and other points of community infrastructure and friction. All will represent a slap in the face to any hardworking legal immigrant that is following the rules, and going through the sometimes byzantine and expensive process of becoming a legal resident, or U.S. Citizen.

Driving West on Highway 90 Friday from Uvalde, one could see a steady stream of Texas Department of Public Safety cruisers moving in the opposite direction— toward San Antonio, I-35, and the rest of the state. Presumably, these are troopers being released from their special duty in locking down the Port of Entry, and supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection in keeping the situation there from potentially spiraling into violence and chaos.

Pity the poor Agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector’s Mounted Patrol— agents who simply performed their duties in a moment of crisis and have been slandered with false accusations of whipping Haitians by ignorant or malicious press, activists, and some lawmakers. No less a figure than President Biden has promised dire consequences— a statement that had to later be walked back slightly by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who said the President was speaking emotionally, and would have no role in the investigation or assignment of punishment.

Even so, the agents being censured can take no comfort from that. Even if one hopes Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas might quietly make these agents whole once the controversy has burned itself out— they remain ruthlessly slandered and besmirched.

See our earlier reporting about the false controversy, and analysis of the emotional underpinnings behind those innocent in their outrage. We cannot speak to those who are cynically exploiting the confusion.

Many questions remain, and so do many concerns after persistent reports that another large group of illegal aliens are making their way through Mexico and seem to be headed for the McAllen area. This is one of those things that could wind up not happening for various reasons. U.S. Diplomatic pressure on Mexico could lead to Mexican troops diverting or dispersing the caravan, or holding it up at some point. Word may reach the caravan of a chilly reception awaiting them in Texas, and the travelers could decide to divert yet again to Arizona or California, or some other location along the border.

Several published reports indicate that authorities in Del Rio were under pressure to empty the camp, ahead of the anticipated arrival of protestors associated with Black Lives Matter this weekend. Some in the black community of the United States are upset— believing the Haitian immigrants are being treated poorly because of their skin color, while pointing to the mass airlift and welcome of Afghans from Afghanistan.

We should note, two Afghan men at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin are already in trouble— one accused of molesting children. The other accused of beating his wife.

Bahrulla Noori and Mohammad Haroon Imaad, Image Courtesy: Dane County, WI Sheriff’s Office

There is also trouble in the Afghan camp at Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss straddles the Texas-New Mexico border. The U.S. Government says a female soldier was assaulted by Afghans.

That last is especially egregious. It appears the victim was part of a special detail, assigned to facilitate and see to the humane treatment of the Afghan refugees.

In a way, President Biden’s circumstances in this crisis bear some similarity to those of Governor Gregg Abbot. One could argue that both men are attempting to chart courses of action between the rocky shoals of their own parties and the opposition, and in both cases taking slings and arrows from both sides. Don’t feel too sad for either man— they’ve chosen their positions— they’ve chosen to be in charge, and that’s what comes of being the Boss: difficult decisions and sometimes unhappy people. If only one could argue with a carefree heart that both men seem to be doing their utmost to ensure the safety and prosperity of everyday average Americans. Instead, one wonders if one should amend the notion of “everyday average American,” to include room for the concept of being regarded by the powers that be as simple-minded and easily fooled “tax cattle.”

By now, steady readers of the Cavalry - Dispatch have no doubt detected some of our biases, and have their own conclusions on these last observations. So, let us return to our originally intended local focus, after what feels like weeks of heady discussion of matters national and international.

The last several days for at least some in Kinney County have been tense and nervous— with people trying to keep a close eye on events at the bridge 30 miles West in Del Rio, worried about the faint, but perhaps real possibility of large groups of angry men moving downriver and crossing closer to Kinney County and stripping ranch houses and businesses in the town of Brackettville bare while traveling on toward San Antonio.

In the cold light of the Crisis’ resolution, it might possibly seem almost ridiculous— an improbable thing that was never going to happen. But, perhaps folks should hold on to the “gift” of those fears a little while longer, if it lends the will to see to some kind of meaningful immigration reforms and revisions.

The Haitian crisis may be concluded in Del Rio. We can now return to the usual patterns of cat and mouse involving smaller groups of Cartel smugglers and human traffickers that have been necessarily allowed to run riot, like a pack of mice and rats in a farmhouse lacking traps or cats. The Border Crisis has been a crisis for months now, without the added complications of fraudulent Haitian asylum seekers.

In any event, life goes on. The Brackett High Tiger Football team hosted the Sabinal Yellowjackets under the Friday Night Lights, winning 52 -14. The team boasts a fair number of Sophomore players in the starting lineup, indicating a bright future in subsequent seasons.