PHOTOS: Thousands of migrants wait under the bridge in Del Rio

Haitian encampment removed under bridge in Texas 3:59

(CNN) -

Thousands of migrants have packed into a makeshift camp under a bridge near the Texas border town of Del Rio.

The surge of migrants on the Del Rio international bridge was the result of messages, by word of mouth or on social media, that the border in Del Rio was open, said U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raúl Ortiz. The chaotic scenes on the bridge, which include law enforcement officers on horseback using aggressive tactics, have drawn the ire of local and federal officials. Some have called the makeshift camp inhumane.

The Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said Tuesday that the government hopes to vacate the camp in the next nine or ten days.

The Biden administration continues to rely on a Trump-era border policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic, that allows border authorities to swiftly remove detained migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In recent days, the government has stepped up those expulsions and increased the pace of repatriation flights.

• 5,600 Migrants Wait to Be Detained Under Del Rio International Bridge, Texas;

  the mayor asks National Security for help

The southern border has seen an increase in migration that, according to US government officials, is overwhelming processing facilities.

Many migrants say they are fleeing deteriorating conditions in their home countries.

Large numbers of migrants come from Haiti, which is still recovering from a major earthquake that left more than 2,000 dead and thousands injured, as well as the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July.

The following photos provide a glimpse of what is happening on the southern border and the conditions in which the migrants find themselves.

A boy bathes with a jug of water inside the migrant camp in Del Rio.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

Migrants work in their temporary housing in the camp.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

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Vehicles lined up along the banks of the Rio Grande, near the Del Rio camp, on Sept. 21.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said authorities are using "unprecedented" methods to deter migrants from crossing into the state, including parking Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles along the border. to create a "steel barrier".

Credits: Julio Cortez / AP

• The Governor of Texas approves creating a kilometer-long "steel barrier" with police vehicles to deter more than 8,000 migrants in Del Rio

This aerial photo shows the Del Rio camp on September 21.

Credits: Julio Cortez / AP

Migrants cross the Rio Grande between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, on Monday, September 20.

Migrants who remain on the Del Rio international bridge cross to Ciudad Acuña to buy food and supplies.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

US Border Patrol agents watch migrants cross the Rio Grande on September 20.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

Migrants fall into the mud after crossing the Rio Grande back to Mexico on September 20.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

A migrant carries his belongings above the water as he crosses the Rio Grande back to Mexico.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

Migrants wait to be processed near the Del Rio International Bridge on Sunday, September 19.

Credits: Adress Latif / Reuters

A US Border Patrol agent on horseback attempts to detain migrants on the banks of the Rio Grande on September 19.

Credits: Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images

A father cradles his son on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande on September 19.

Credits: John Moore / Getty Images

Migrants cross the Rio Grande on September 19.

Credits: Félix Márquez / AP

US Border Patrol agents confront the migrants in Del Rio on September 19.

Credits: Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images

Migrants cross the Rio Grande to get food and supplies in Ciudad Acuña on Saturday, September 18.

Credits: Paul Ratje / AFP / Getty Images

In this photo provided by law enforcement, migrants take refuge under the Del Rio international bridge that connects Del Rio with Ciudad Acuña.

Credits: Handout / Reuters

Migrants use a dam to cross between the United States and Mexico on Friday, September 17.

Credits: Eric Gay / AP

Migrants at the makeshift camp in Del Rio on September 17.

Credits: Eric Gay / AP

Migrants bathe in the Rio Grande near the Del Rio International Bridge on Sept. 17.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Asylum seekers wait to surrender to Border Patrol agents near the bridge in Del Rio on Thursday, Sept. 16.

Credits: Verónica G. Cárdenas / The New York Times / Redux

Migrants cross the Rio Grande on September 16.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Migrants gather near the bridge as they wait to be processed in Del Rio on Sept. 16.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Migrants crossing the Rio Grande on September 16.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Asylum seekers wait to surrender under the Del Rio International Bridge. Credits: Verónica G. Cardenas / The New York Times / Redux

Cuban asylum seekers Otto Jesús, center, and his longtime partner Yanet, left, board a bus after being processed by authorities in Del Rio on September 16.

Credits: Verónica G. Cárdenas / The New York Times / Redux

Makeshift shelters are seen near the Del Rio International Bridge on September 16.

Credits: Verónica G. Cárdenas / The New York Times / Redux

Migrants cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña on September 16.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Clothes lying on the ground to dry under the Del Rio International Bridge on Wednesday, September 15.

Credits: Go Nakamura / Reuters

Migrant Camp Texas