Migrants run back to deportation plane returning to the United States

More than 500 Haitians have been deported from the United States since Sunday - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
More than 500 Haitians have been deported from the United States since Sunday - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

Dozens of Haitian migrants ran back onto the runway and tried to re-board a deportation plane after being expelled from the United States.

In frantic scenes at Haiti's main airport, security guards are seen trying to close the plane door and pull migrants away from the vehicle.

Several deportees threw shoes at the jet, yelling: "This is abuse!", "How is this possible?"

The group had disembarked from the second of four flights that arrived in Port au Prince on Tuesday, with some struggling to find their belongings amid the scuffle with police.

President Biden is facing mounting criticism to stop an expulsions policy the UN refugee chief said may be illegal.

Some migrants threw their shoes at the jet in angry scenes at Haiti's main airport - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
Some migrants threw their shoes at the jet in angry scenes at Haiti's main airport - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

Earlier this week, heavy-handed policing on the southern border saw lasso-wielding officers on horseback deployed to the Rio Grande to stop the thousands of mostly Haitian migrants from crossing into the US.

Dozens of Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles are also now being parked for miles along the border to create a "steel barrier".

Some 9,000 Haitian migrants remain in a squalid camp underneath the bridge between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, but efforts to deport them are ramping up under a sweeping public health order created by Donald Trump and kept in place under Mr Biden.

Among those trying to get back on the plane was Maxine Orelien, who blamed Haiti's prime minister for the situation.

More than 60 percent of Haiti's population lives on less than $2 a day - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
More than 60 percent of Haiti's population lives on less than $2 a day - REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

"What can we provide for our family?" he said. "We can't do anything for our family here. There is nothing in this country."

Despite the protests, several more flights are scheduled in upcoming days.

More than 500 Haitians have been deported from the United States after flights began on Sunday

Many of the migrants left their country after the devastating 2010 earthquake and are struggling to find jobs and housing to provide for their families.

Around 60 percent of Haiti's population earns less than $2 a day.