The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that it was widening efforts to deport Haitians, a response to thousands of immigrants from the Caribbean nation who have overwhelmed California border crossings with Mexico in recent months.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah Saldana testified in Congress that other governments told her on a recent trip to Central America that 40,000 Haitians were on their way and called it an “emergency situation” on California’s border. She said the estimate of people on their way contributed to the policy shift, as did changing conditions in Haiti.
