On Haiti & Immigration

“Disinformation” & “slavery” narratives used in Del Rio to distract from imperialism across Caribbean, South America

A view of Mexico, from the northern bank of the Rio Grande in Laredo, Texas, near Justo Penn Las Palmas trail, February 2020. Photo by Jonathan Salinas

A makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas which held tens of thousands of Haitian migrants for almost two weeks was announced “cleared” by mayor Bruno Lozano last Friday.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas blamed “disinformation” spread online, supposedly communicating that Biden would grant protective status to all Haitians, for the surging of Del Rio from Ciudad Acuna, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande.

He claimed drug cartels seeking profits from human smuggling were responsible. Reports quoting such videos did not link to clips.

Sure, the smuggling industry may be publishing such disinformation, but this is really an expedient excuse to deflect attention from the economic and social crises created by capitalism and imperialism in Haiti, the Caribbean, South and North America—in other words, the actual…