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HAITI, CHILE, U.S. — A large percentage of Haitians who recently trekked to the U.S.-Mexico border came from Chile, Pascale Bonnefoy writes in a piece for The New York Times with photos from Cristobal Olivares. "Over the past decade, as Haitians sought refuge from the devastating 2010 earthquake, Chile — with its generous entry policy and stable economy — became an even more attractive destination for them," Bonnefoy explains. Since then, life has become "increasingly difficult," with migrants facing "increasing joblessness, poverty and hostility there." Per government data, as of December, there were more than 182,000 Haitians living in Chile (excluding undocumented immigrants). "In Chile, Haitians are facing cultural and social discrimination, even at a government level, and racism in workplaces and on the streets," said Ivenet Dorsainvil, a professor and spokesman for Haitian groups in the country. ‘THE SYSTEM CRUMBLES’ — "Hundreds of migrants arrested under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) ‘catch and jail’ border security push have been sitting in prison for weeks with no charges filed against them," reports Jolie McCullough of The Texas Tribune. Many of these migrants don’t speak English, McCullough notes, and they’ve had "few opportunities to talk to their families and often fewer chances to find out what is happening to them or how long they will be imprisoned." Now, defense attorneys and advocacy groups are asking courts to release them. "We can’t have a country or a system where people are being rounded up like this and sort of tucked away and hidden without the oversight and respective rights that the Constitution demands," said Amrutha Jindal, a Houston defense attorney for Restoring Justice. "The system crumbles without due process." ‘REASONABLY BELIEVED’ — Not to be outdone in the race to the nativist bottom, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) is moving forward with his own efforts to vilify immigrants. Politico’s Gary Fineout reports that DeSantis "encouraged Florida authorities to detain buses, planes or cars ‘reasonably believed’ to be transporting someone who entered the country illegally from the southern border." Since this is a family-friendly newsletter, I will refrain from commenting further.
AFGHAN WELCOME — More than 100 U.S. citizens and green card holders, plus nine special immigrant visa holders, were evacuated from Afghanistan on a private charter flight Tuesday, Jake Tapper and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN. Meanwhile, in a blog post for the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF), Ret. Chief Ramon Batista, an LEITF senior advisor, emphasized law enforcement’s role in welcoming refugees: "There will be challenges ahead of us as we welcome Afghan refugees, but I urge everyone to remember our nation’s rich history of welcoming, and caring for, immigrants." And on Monday, about 100 Arizona faith leaders sent a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey expressing gratitude for his welcoming Afghan refugees to the state. Here’s this morning’s sampling of local stories of welcome:
DIVERSITY VISAS — On Monday, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan "ordered the U.S. State Department to reserve 966 diversity visas beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, saying applicants were likely to prevail on their claims that the department unlawfully delayed processing," reports Jennifer Doherty for Law360. "To be clear, there is no statutory requirement that every available diversity visa be issued each year. But that does not mean that the State Department can decide to suspend the diversity program for six months of the fiscal year, thereby drastically reducing the number of diversity visa applications that could be processed, adjudicated, and issued," the judge said. The State Department cited COVID-19 ‘hotspots’ abroad, in addition to U.S. travel bans, as reasons for the processing delays. Thanks for reading, Ali |
