MIAMI, April 2 (UPI) -- Officials said more than 30 Haitians were freed from U.S. detention centers, where they have been since arriving without visas after the Jan. 12 earthquake.
The number of Haitians released varied among media reports, ranging from 33 to 40.
The Haitians were held at several immigration detention centers in Florida since entering the country without proper documentation in the chaotic aftermath of the 7-magnitude quake that struck the island nation, CNN reported Friday.
About 32 Haitians remain detained, officials said.
Only those who signed an order agreeing to be deported in the future were released, The Miami Herald reported. Several remained detained because they either refused to sign the order or had no sponsor.
Many of those freed Thursday were released to family members already living in the United States, officials said. They still will be under supervision of federal immigration officials.
Most of those detained came to the United States on military planes, according to Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center attorney Allison Kent. Some were waved onto waiting military planes by U.S. Marines while others wound up in lines to board a plane out of the country when they were at the airport searching for food.
No one ever asked the detainees to show their necessary documentation, Kent said.
A Department of Homeland Security official told CNN did not dispute the accounts, but said there were some instances of people deliberately trying to enter the United States illegally. While all the Haitians released Thursday face deportation orders, the United States halted deportation to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
A schedule has not been determined for their removal, a Homeland Security official said.
