Dear John,

The lives of Black migrants are in danger. 

In less than 3 months of presidency, the Biden Administration has expelled over 1,300 Haitian migrants - including children, infants, and pregnant women - to Haiti during a severely violent political crisis.1 Most have been apprehended at the border, locked up in detention centers, denied the right to an attorney, and summarily sent back to Haiti without even the chance to apply for asylum protection.  

This is a racial justice crisis, and we need your support to protect Black lives no matter their nationality. [link removed]

Trump once referred to Haiti and several places in Africa as sh*thole countries.2 And then to further his xenophobic and racist anti-immigrant agenda, he used an obscure law called Title 42 to create an invisible wall that closed the U.S. border to migrants seeking asylum during the pandemic and expelled Black migrants back to the countries they fled. The Center for Disease Control and other health experts argued that denying access to asylum protection for desperate migrants would have little effect on stopping the spread of the pandemic, but the Trump administration still pushed his agenda against immigrants, particularly Black communities.3 

Biden has a chance to end the use of this policy, but is yet to act.

John, we worked hard to get Trump out and Biden in - a president who while running for office publicly campaigned in support of the Haitian community.4 This is why we need your help. Sign our petition demanding the Biden Administration fulfill its commitment to racial justice and protect Black migrant lives today. [link removed]

All of this is happening amid a political and economic crisis in Haiti caused by years of U.S.- backed dictatorship. And the situation has only become more dire for Black migrants since COVID-19.  According to RAICES, a refugee and immigrant rights organization, more than 44 percent of all families locked in ICE detention last summer were Haitian. On any given day in the past year, Haitians were the single largest nationality group in family detention, which we know are hubs for the spread of the virus. 

Every arm of our country’s incarceration and deportation machine bears down on and disrupts Black people and communities. For decades, Black immigrants have faced disproportionate rates of detention and deportation. According to a report from The Black Alliance for Just Immigration, while Black immigrants make up less than 5.4 percent of the undocumented population in the United States, they made up 10.6 percent of all deportation proceedings from 2003 to 2015. 

Whether in immigration or policing, Black lives matter and racial justice should extend to Black communities regardless of where they’re from.  

This is why Color Of Change is joining Haitian Bridge Alliance and other organizations to demand that Biden end Title 42 today. 

Sign our petition demanding the Biden Administration protect Black migrant lives today. [link removed]

Until justice is real,

Scott, Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Ariel, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison, Trevor, Ana, McKayla and the Color Of Change team

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

References:

1. Haiti deportations soar as Biden administration deploys Trump-era health order. (2021, March 25). The Guardian. [link removed]

2. Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole” countries. (2018, January 11). NBC News. [link removed]

3. Haitian Bridge Alliance, UndocuBlack, Quixote Center. (2021). The Invisible Wall: Title 42 and its Impact on Haitian Migrants.

4. Biden accused Trump of ignoring Haiti. As turmoil deepens, will he change U.S. policy? (2021, February 14). Miami Herald. [link removed]

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