DEL RIO, Texas (AP) — U.S. officials say many of the thousands of Haitian migrants camped in the small Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the United States with notices to appear in immigration court or to an immigration office.

The criteria for who is released is unclear.

The move undercuts the Biden administration’s public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion to Haiti.

The releases come despite a massive effort to expel Haitians on flights under pandemic-related authority that denies migrants a chance to seek asylum.

CNN reports that families seeking asylum would have a legal argument to make for staying in the U.S.

A U.S. official says there are seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.