Mayorkas grilled on claims DHS was warned of Del Rio crisis in June

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Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas on Wednesday quizzed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on reports that the Biden administration had been warned about an incoming migrant crisis at Del Rio as early as June – months before thousands of Haitian migrants flooded the sector.

More than 14,000 Haitian migrants surged to the border last week, with thousands camping under the international bridge in Del Rio, and thousands more believed to be on the way. DHS has since surged resources and agents to cope with the crisis.

CBP SHUTS DOWN DEL RIO PORT OF ENTRY, BORDER CHECKPOINTS IN RESPONSE TO HAITIAN MIGRANT SURGE

At a House Homeland Security hearing, McCaul said he obtained emails from CBP agents in Del Rio warning and asking for more sources in June and noted that the Panama foreign minister on June 3 warned of an influx at the southern border.

A similar claim was made by Brandon Judd, head of the National Border Patrol Council, who told Fox News last week that agents had warned that Del Rio was at risk and needed more resources months ago

"They were warned that this bridge where these people are crossing, at this exact spot there was an uptick in traffic and the traffic continued to go up, and they were warned they needed to prepare, they needed to put operations in place to deal with a large influx of people, and they didn’t," he said.

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Mayorkas did not say specifically if he had been pre-warned, and said the surge had been "unprecedented."

We haven't seen before such a rapid irregular migration of individuals as we have observed and experienced with respect to the Haitians who've crossed the border in Del Rio, Texas," Mayorkas said. "That has been an unprecedented speed."

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Asked again by McCaul if there were any warning signs, Mayorkas doubled down.

"We watched the flow of individuals who are seeking to migrate irregularly through Mexico from the Northern Triangle countries and further south, we do indeed track it. Nevertheless congressmen, as I previously articulated, the speed with which this materialized is unprecedented."

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"That is why we surged as many resources as we have," he said.

DHS has surged hundreds of agents to the area, while also increasing the pace of deportation flights back to Haiti -- moves that have angered Haitians and seen buses and flights marked with violence.