Thousands of migrants converge on town

DEL RIO » Thousands of Haitian migrants assembled under and around a bridge in a small Texas border town as chaos unfolded Friday, presenting the Biden administration with a new challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil.

Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through kneedeep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders.

Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

“We will address it accordingly,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on MSNBC.