Thousands of migrants camp under an American bridge

After the devastating earthquakes of 2010, many Haitians moved to South America. When it became more difficult to work in Rio de Janeiro after the 2016 Olympics, many traveled to the US border on foot, by bus or by car.

It is not known what has now led to the sudden influx of large numbers of migrants from Haiti. One possible explanation, according to the AP news agency, is that the US government has announced that it will no longer allow vulnerable asylum seekers to enter the United States. “A feeling of despair has spread among the migrants,” says the association’s head of legal affairs Haitian du Pont Alliance, which assists Haitian migrants.

The lawyer for a migrant shelter on the Mexican side of the border suspects people have decided to travel to the United States based on rumors of upcoming changes in US immigration policy.

President Biden has rolled back some of his predecessor Trump’s inhumane immigration policies, but regulations that came into effect during the coronavirus crisis to quickly return migrants are still in place. On Friday, a judge ruled that the scheme could no longer be applied to families. The Biden administration has appealed the decision.