UndocuBlack Celebrates the Designation of Cameroon for TPS: A Hard Fought and Long Overdue Victory for All Black Immigrants

For Immediate Release

April 15th, 2022 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, April 15th, the Biden-Harris administration announced that they will be designating Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This welcomed news comes after years of advocacy led by directly impacted community members and Black immigrant advocacy groups, such as the Cameroon Advocacy Network and Haitian Bridge Alliance. At a time when the discourse around the moral obligation to welcome those fleeing conflict zones has taken center stage, the continued deportation of Cameroonians to an active war zone felt especially cruel. It is not lost on us that the journey to get to what should've been an obvious decision took years instead of days. 

As we celebrate the life-saving protection TPS will provide for thousands of Cameroonians, we also mourn the harm that came to those who were deported back to dangerous conditions. The unnecessary delay in announcing this designation, which resulted in the detention, forced disapperance, sexual assault, and torture suffered by Cameroonian asylum seekers deported back  painfully showcases the anti-Blackness that exists within the immigration enforcement system at large. A key step towards remedying the harms caused by the delay in designation is a strategic and equitable implementation plan. 

We urge the Administration to immediately publish a Federal Register Notice (FRN) to provide eligible Cameroonians the opportunity to apply for TPS as soon as possible. An FRN publication would also officially open the registration period needed to facilitate the release of Cameroonians who are currently detained by ICE and CBP. In the spirit of accessibility, we also recommend that the Administration waive the registration fees for TPS. This is particularly critical in light of the ongoing economic crisis many people face as a result of COVID-19, with many individuals depleting their savings or being unable to secure and maintain employment. Lastly, the Administration must put in place a robust, culturally competent community outreach plan, which should include stakeholder meetings, access to legal services for detained Cameroonians, and funding/grants for NGOs to assist in resourcing outreach programs. 

The current conditions in Cameroon made it a textbook case for TPS designation. Other majority-Black countries, with very similar conditions, must also receive TPS designation immediately. We hope Mauritania with the widespread practice of enslaving its Black population andEthiopia with the armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in its Tigray region will also receive TPS designation soon.

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Black Immigrant’s Rights Organizations Statement on Title 42 Termination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 5,2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, April 1st, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Biden-Harris administration announced that the de facto asylum ban, otherwise known as Title 42 expulsion policy, would end on May 23rd, 2022. This Trump era order,  which was perpetuated  by the Biden administration, has blocked migrants at the U.S. Southern border from seeking asylum, in clear defiance of international human rights laws. This restriction on the right to seek asylum and refuge from harmful conditions has lasted two years under the guise of preventing the spread of COVID-19.  Advocates and public health experts have repeatedly denounced this policy and explained that the order had no medical basis. Title 42 has resulted in over 1 million people being expelled back to dangerous conditions, including over 20,000 Haitian migrants. 

Black immigrants’ rights groups acknowledge that the announcement of a wind down of  Title 42 is the result of the hard work of impacted communities, Black-led organizations, and elected officials who championed around the issue. While we welcome this announcement, we cannot fully celebrate until all explusions have stopped and the right to asylum is fully restored for family units as well as single adults. We’ve witnessed the disproportionate harm Title 42 has inflicted on Black asylum seekers, including pregnant women, babies, and members of the LGBTQ community.

As Black immigrants, we are all too familiar with this country's history of anti-Blackness within the immigration system. To that end, we urge the Biden-Harris administration to keep racial equity in mind as it implements the full termination of Title 42. As some elected officials and states push to halt the termination of Title-42 through amendments and lawsuits, we urge the administration to commit to rebuilding the U.S. asylum system in a manner that does not disproportionately impact any particular demographic over others. With collaboration from service providers, immigrants rights groups at the border, and other institutions, this news should be followed by adequate access to language services, medical care, and legal counsel.

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UndocuBlack Statement on Biden Administration’s Refusal to Fully Terminate Title 42

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 14, 2022

WASHINGTON DC — The UndocuBlack Network, issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced that it will only partially end Title 42 expulsions for unaccompanied children at the border in response to a Texas court ruling:

“The Biden administration’s decision to terminate Title 42 expulsions of unaccompanied children is a baseline step towards the moral choice to fully terminate the policy. While unaccompanied children are now exempt from experiencing the cruelty of Title 42, the policy will continue to harm children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations as long as it is in place. Just last week the 207th Title 42 expulsion flight left for Haiti, carrying seventeen children to imminent danger and underscoring the disproportionate impact of the policy on Black migrants. This policy, while cloaked as a public health directive, has denied people their right to seek asylum for nearly 2 years in violation of both domestic and international law. Several public health experts have affirmed that there is no substantive  public health justification for this anti-Black policy created by the Trump administration and perpetuated by the Biden administration. Nothing less than ending this cruel Trump-era policy for everyone will serve as a remedy for the harm that the Biden-Harris Administration has caused to so many.”

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UndocuBlack Network Celebrates Black Immigrant Women and Their Contribution to Their Communities and the Nation

For Immediate Release

March 8, 2022

Press contact: Bethelhem T. Negash, bethelhem@undocublack.org

WASHINGTON – This International Women’s Day, the UndocuBlack Network pays homage to the scores of immigrant women who have helped propel the nation and the world forward. Throughout this Women’s History Month, the network celebrates and reflects on the accomplishments of immigrant women who have fought for safety and security for all women. 

“Undocumented Black women have been active agents in challenging injustices. The UndocuBlack Network celebrates the strength, commitment, diversity, hard work, essentiality and perseverance of undocumented Black women within our membership, our leadership, and outside of UndocuBlack, who, despite lack of social and economic support and relief from the government, stood their grounds and fought against the additional barrier of the pandemic and their immigration status. ”

“Undocumented Black women have been at the forefront of pushing for change in this country. Be it the civil rights, workers’ rights, women’s right or immigrant justice, immigrant Black women have worked hard to create a society where all belong and all can thrive. Undocumented women understand that immigration status should not determine a person’s ability to live healthy and whole lives.”

As a Black, undocumented, women-led organization, UndocuBlack has continuously stood alongside Haitians, Cameroonians, Mauritanians and all marginalized women, who are exploited and abused, in their fight for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a pathway to citizenship via green cards. 

The UndocuBlack Network celebrates the strength, commitment, diversity, hard work, essentiality and perseverance of undocumented Black women within our membership, our leadership, and outside of UndocuBlack, who, despite lack of social and economic support and relief from the government, stood their grounds and fought against the additional barrier of the pandemic and their immigration status. Undocumented Black women have been active agents in challenging injustices.

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The UndocuBlack Network, under the leadership of Black immigrant women, has been recognized and honored with the Young People For 2018 Movement Builder Award, the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award (May 2018); the National Lawyers Guild Daniel Levy Award (September 2020) and the Bayard Rustin Human Rights Award (July 2021).

The Swift and Much-Needed Designation of TPS for Ukraine Shows that this Act of Compassion Can be Done in a Matter of Days

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4th, 2022

CONTACT: Bethelhem T. Negash, bethelhem@undocublack.org 

Washington DC- The swift and much-needed designation of TPS for Ukraine shows that this act of compassion can be done without months, or years, of delay. Within 8 days of the conflict, the White House, Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security were able to assess the country conditions of Ukraine, weigh them against the legal standards for TPS, and make the decision to designate the country so that Ukrainian nationals would not be inevitably deported back to dangerous conditions. If this decision can be made in 8 days for Ukraine, it can be replicated for Cameroon, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Palestine, and other countries with ongoing armed conflicts and other dangerous conditions that deem them unsafe to deport anyone back to. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration has shown a clear pattern of anti-Blackness and racism throughout its immigration policy and enforcement decisions. ”

— Communities United for Status and Protection

This week’s designation of TPS for Sudan and redesignation of TPS for South Sudan, while warranted and necessary, was a baseline step towards equitable designations of TPS. The Biden Administration's failure to act on majority-Black countries that immigrant rights organizations have been advocating for for years is a glaring indication of whose safety and wellbeing this administration sees as a priority. Moreover, their silence on the worsening conditions in Lebanon and the continued immiseration of Palestine contradicts their stated intention to redress the anti-Arab racism of previous administrations.

The stalled designation of TPS for Cameroon and other majority Black countries, the 200+ Title 42 expulsion flights to Haiti, and the abuse of Black asylum seekers at the hands of CBP officers  at Del Rio last year has already solidified the Biden Administration's legacy of cruelty against Black immigrants. Designating Ukraine for TPS in 8 days while past designations have taken years-long campaigns to garner even the smallest amount of attention and awareness while new designations for majority-Black countries have been few and far between in recent years will sadly become a standard-bearing moment in the worst of ways for this country. These patterns show the structural racism that exists at all levels of the US immigration and asylum system. They must be rooted out immediately to ensure equal protection and equal justice under the law for all those seeking refuge and safety, regardless of their racial makeup, ethnicity, or national origin.

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About Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) and its anchor organizations:

 Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) is a collaborative of grassroots immigrant community organizations working together to win permanent status for our members and communities, and build a more inclusive immigrant rights movement that centers the needs and experiences of African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and API immigrants.

The UndocuBlack Network (UBN), founded in 2016, is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources and contributes to transforming the realities of our people so we are thriving and living our fullest lives. UBN has chapters in New York City, the DC/MD/VA area, and Los Angeles, CA. 

 Adhikaar (Nepali: rights) is a New York-based non-profit, organizing the Nepali-speaking community to promote human rights and social justice for all. We are a women-led workers’ center and community center focused on workers’ rights, immigration rights, access to affordable healthcare and language justice. 

 African Communities Together (ACT) is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT empowers African immigrants to integrate socially, get ahead economically, and engage civically. We connect African immigrants to critical services, help Africans develop as leaders, and organize our communities on the issues that matter.

 Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization based in Southern California that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and connects migrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women, LGBTQAI+ individuals and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. Since 2015, HBA has provided services to asylum seekers and other migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, in U.S. detention, and during U.S. immigration proceedings. 

 National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) is a national consortium of independent Arab American community-based organizations. The Network’s primary mission is to build the capacity of Arab American non profit organizations that focus on the needs and issues impacting their local community while collectively addressing those issues nationally. 

The UndocuBlack Network Stands in Solidarity with Black Migrants Facing Mistreatment and Discrimination in Ukraine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 28, 2022

CONTACT: bethelhem@undocublack.org

The UndocuBlack Network expresses its solidarity with Black migrants who are fleeing Ukraine and facing anti-Black discrimination within the interior of the country and ports of entry into neighboring Poland. We also condemn Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as yet another act of imperialism that will cause irreparable harm. We stand in solidarity with all people resisting occupation globally. We are all too familiar with the extent of physical, economic, and societal damage that comes from white men deciding that they are entitled to a territory that does not belong to them. Some versions of colonialism, militarism, and imperialism at the hands of the former Soviet Union (now Russia), the United States, and its NATO allies have created the vast majority of the world’s refugee and asylum-seeking population. 

“As the immigrant rights community moves towards a unified call for welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the war and protecting Ukrainians in the U.S. from deportation, it would be irresponsible for any organization to not  name the vulnerability of Black immigrants within this conflict.”

— The UndocuBlack Network Team

As a network of Black immigrants we are disheartened, but not shocked, at the news of Black migrants being denied their right to seek refuge from the war in Ukraine. The images of Black students being pushed to the back of lines at entry points into Poland invoke images of Black asylum seekers camping in makeshift shelters at the U.S. southern border. The images of Black babies being forced to wait for hours in single-digit temperatures before being allowed on trains to safe zones invokes images of Black babies on Title 42 deportation flights headed back towards imminent danger in their home countries. We are reminded yet again that anti-Blackness is universal and endemic to every form of immigration enforcement. The very concept of borders and the arbitrary standards of deciding who gets to move about freely from one place to another is rooted in white supremacy. Whether at the U.S./Mexico border or Ukraine’s border with Poland, Black migrants always bear the heaviest brunt of this cruelty. 

As the immigrant rights community moves towards a unified call for welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the war and protecting Ukrainians in the U.S. from deportation, it would be irresponsible for any organization to not  name the vulnerability of Black immigrants within this conflict.  As the Biden Administration perpetuates its own version of anti-Blackness within the U.S. immigration enforcement system, any call for the protection for Ukrainian refugees would be hypocritical without the specific acknowledgement of the experience of Black migrants both here and in Ukraine.

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The UndocuBlack Network Urges the Biden Administration for Immediate Designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2022

CONTACT: bethelhem@undocublack.org

WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, the UndocuBlack Network recognizes the “ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon” – a statutory qualifying factor for a TPS designation – that has killed more than 4,000, displaced more than 700,000 civilians, and the potential escalation of the current political instability in Cameroon. The Network urges the Biden Administration to halt the detention, deportation, or expulsion of all Cameroon nationals to imminently deadly conditions. The UndocuBlack Network calls on the Biden Administration to halt removal proceedings against Cameroonians and grant the designation of TPS for Cameroonians in the U.S.  

“This Black History Month, the Biden Administration can honor the month by choosing to stand by the side of justice for Black immigrants and alienating its administration from the historically anti-Black hardline stance on immigration and discriminatory policies.””

According to local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Cameroon's far northern region has been in conflict with Boko Haram, leading to the deaths and displacement of thousands in Cameroon since 2014.  Government security forces and separatists have also faced accusations of attacking schools, raiding villages, burning homes, and arbitrarily arresting and killing dozens of civilians. Not only does deporting Cameroonians who are already in the U.S. go against President Biden’s campaign promises, but it also puts the U.S. in direct conflict with U.S. law (the 1951 Refugee and 1984 Torture Conventions) as Cameroonians are knowingly being returned to “likely persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations.”

“The Biden administration can save its fractured legacy by immediately designating Cameroon for TPS. The administration can begin to atone for our country’s wrongdoings against Black immigrants, including the deportation of Cameroonians back to a place of violence, torture and death after suffering unspeakable abuse, neglect, and lack of due process through the broken U.S. asylum system,” said Timantha Goff, Policy and Advocacy Analyst with the UndocuBlack Network. “ This Black History Month, the Biden Administration can honor the month by choosing to stand by the side of justice for Black immigrants and alienating its administration from the historically anti-Black hardline stance on immigration and discriminatory policies.”

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UndocuBlack Network Celebrates Black History Month

WASHINGTON – The UndocuBlack Network today celebrates Black History Month and recognizes the occasion by honoring the triumphs of Black Americans and paying homage to Black people across the diaspora who came to this country, and linked their liberation to that of Black Americans. During this Black History Month, the UndocuBlack Network, wants to highlight the ongoing mistreatment and expulsions of Haitians and other Black immigrants, refugees, and asylees who are coming to the U.S. seeking safety. 

“Black History Month is an opportunity to honor the sacrifices and triumphs of Black Americans,” said Patrice Lawrence, executive director of the UndocuBlack Network. “The progress that many of us enjoy today is on the backs of Black martyrs of the civil rights movements. Some of us, including many people in the South, have stood or walked on soil where Black Americans were beaten, maimed and lynched. We cannot enter this month without paying homage to those who cleared the way for all and did so embodying selfless advocacy even though they would be unable to see the fruits of their labor. This month is also an opportunity to create cross-cultural dialogue on the challenges facing Black people, whether they were born in the United States or elsewhere. Black Americans and Black immigrants are linked in struggle; our liberation rests in one another’s hands.” 

“No one is free unless we are all free. Moreover, the same system oppresses both communities. This Black History Month and beyond, we must look for ways to build bridges of understanding and empathy.”

“White supremacy wrongly seeks to separate people based on where they were born, ability, sexual orientation or how much money one has in the bank. But unless Black Americans are free, Black immigrants will not taste freedom. Claude McKay, Marcus Garvey, Miriam Makeba, Shirley Chisholm, Cicely Tyson, Kwame Ture, Chinua Achebe all understood this and worked toward the uplift of the Black community. The extent to which Black Americans fight for the safety and security of Black immigrants is the degree to which Black Americans secure their own future. No one is free unless we are all free. Moreover, the same system oppresses both communities. This Black History Month and beyond, we must look for ways to build bridges of understanding and empathy.”  

“We launched our ‘Immigration Is a Black Issue’ campaign because we understood that Black immigrants are marginalized twofold by being both Black and undocumented. We also understood that Black immigrants are subject to the same human rights violations that Black American experience and that our civil rights leaders have fought for all Black people to have the right to freedom, dignity, and liberation. The true measure of freedom is whether it benefits all. We can never enjoy a system where some are free and others are in the bondage of mass incarceration, housing insecurity, deportation,  immigration-based criminalization, etc. This campaign is a testament to our struggles and our fight having always been interconnected.”

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