FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 19, 2023
Media Contact: Bethelhem T. Negash bethelhem@undocublack.org
Washington D.C – Two years following the viral image of Border Patrol agents seemingly whipping Haitian migrants, the fight for a just and equitable immigration system continues. Today, we reflect on the visceral pain of that singular image, and the myriad of human rights violations that would follow for several more days. The harm caused at Del Rio was directed at Haitian asylum seekers, yet its ramifications extended to the Black community at large. Two years, a sham investigation and multiple lawsuits later, the experience of Black asylum seekers at the southern border has not changed. The lack of dignity and care in the treatment of Black migrants continues.
Taisha Santil, Senior Policy Analyst at UndocuBlack, said:
“When I arrived in Del Rio exactly two years ago today, my very first task was to reunite a newborn baby that was airlifted in a helicopter with his parents. This family was one of many with newborns that were denied basic necessities such as shelter and medical care. This incident marks one of the very first times the general public of the U.S. truly saw the outright anti-Blackness embedded in the immigration system. The viral picture of the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent chasing a Haitian man on a horse is a symbol of the continued dehumanization of Black people. After they suffered and bore witness to CBP abuse in Del Rio, these asylum seekers were subjected to the U.S. government’s continued mistreatment and anti-Black prejudice that summarily expelled them without any due process to Haiti. I look forward to the day that the U.S. will provide equitable opportunities to all asylum seekers, not humiliation.”
This year, we have seen the Bident administration prioritize the deportation of Haitians, Mauritanians, and many other Black asylum seekers. We’ve witnessed and mourned the preventable death of an eight-year-old Black child in CBP custody. We’ve called out the lack of language access and any semblance of due process for detained Black migrants. The Biden administration's failure to recognize the human rights of Black migrants is nothing new, but it does not have to be this way. The Administration can save itself from a legacy of anti-Blackness, by choosing compassion and welcoming rather than deterrence. The UndocuBlack Network demands that the Administration radically reinvent how they welcome Black immigrants. Instead of humiliation, detention, and deportation, the U.S. must build an equitable humanitarian protection system that welcomes those seeking refuge, regardless of race, ethnicity, background and country of origin. Seeking asylum is a human right and it’s critical for the U.S. to adhere to international and human rights laws, and exclude all racial bias and prejudice in the process.
###
