Clip of Biden saying it wouldn’t matter if Haiti sunk into the sea reemerges amid Del Rio scandal

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A three-decade-old clip of US president Joe Biden saying “it would not matter” if Haiti sunk has resurfaced as his administration faces a backlash for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants. During the conversation, he said: “If Haiti, a god awful thing to say, if Haiti just quietly sunk into the Caribbean or rose up 300 feet, it wouldn't matter a whole lot in terms of our interest.” This video has been around for years but it was widely shared this week after thousands of Haitian migrants encamped in the town of Del Rio near the US-Mexico border were forcefully sent back to their homeland. A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, on 19 September Democrats have called on the Biden administration to end the use of Trump-era immigration rule “Title 42” to deport migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum. On Monday, Mr Mayorkas had warned people from entering the US illegally saying: “If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family’s life.” Republicans have also sharpened their attack on the president, accusing him of letting Haitians believe they would get asylum in the US.