God’s Haitian Children

Doubtless you’ve seen the news by now. Thousands of Haitians have arrived at Del Rio, Texas on the southern U.S. border in the past week. Estimates place the number around 15,000. They’ve mostly been waiting under the bridge on the Texas side for border patrol agents to process them. Many wade or swim across the river to the town of Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, to buy food, water, and other supplies. Through relationships I have with people on the ground in Texas and Arizona, I know that hundreds of Haitians, primarily families, are being flown to immigrant shelters in Arizona. But in recent days we’ve also seen how some members of border patrol on horseback have mistreated Haitian migrants in Del Rio. Migrants have been rounded up like cattle, yelled at, and forced into the river. More than a thousand Haitians have already been flown back to Haiti on deportation flights. Deportation flights continue today.

Obviously I’m upset by the inhumane, cruel way the U.S. is treating these human beings. But I’m also furious with the duality of thinking I’ve witnessed by Americans regarding taking in Afghan migrants vs. Haitians. Yes, these are two very different populations. Nevertheless, this latest incident, to me, reeks of racism. Americans are rightly lining up to welcome and help Afghan migrants, primarily because of a perception that they are good and deserving people because they helped the U.S. in wartime. Hooray! It’s about time white Americans get over their fear of Muslims. But who gets to decide which migrants are “deserving”?

According to the NYTimes:

At least 50,000 Afghans who assisted the United States government or who might be targeted by the Taliban are expected to be admitted into the United States in the coming month, though the full number and the time frame of their arrival remains a work in progress. More than 31,000 Afghans have arrived already.”

(https://nyti.ms/3o2YU9l)

I’ve heard people say that we can’t possibly handle the 15,000 Haitians at our southern border. Really? We’re (rightly) eager to welcome more than 80,000 Afghans, but we have no room for 15,000 Haitians? In 1980 the U.S. accepted for resettlement more than 200,000 refugees, many of them Vietnamese. Could the real reason be that we love to welcome war heroes, but not poor Black people? The U.S. has a long history of racist immigration policies, and this is only the latest example.

The administration is using Title 42—a harmful policy put into place by the previous administration which has endangered thousands of lives—to expel Haitians from our border before they can even enter. On September 16 federal courts ruled that the government must stop expelling migrants under Title 42. But alas, this ruling does not take effect until October 1. The cruelty boggles my mind.

Haitians have recently endured yet another political coup in their country, and yet another massive earthquake. It’s questionable how many of them arriving now would qualify for asylum, but we have no right to deprive them of their due process rights to apply. As with Afghans, current Haitian migrants should receive at least Humanitarian Parole, if not Temporary Protected Status and a pathway to eventual citizenship.

Doctors Without Borders states:

The United States government should suspend its expulsion flights to Haiti on humanitarian grounds. The insecurity that we see today in Port-au-Prince is the worst we have seen in decades. Armed groups have effectively taken over large areas of the capital and their attacks have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. More than half of the patients arriving at our Tabarre hospital in Port-au-Prince have suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds, often from high-powered firearms that have proliferated across the city. Armed clashes in two neighborhoods, Martissant and Cité Soleil, forced us to move longstanding medical programs to other areas of Port-au-Prince this year. Many people who have fled the violence are living in camps within the city in appalling conditions.

It is unconscionable to return migrants against their will to a situation of uncertainty and mortal danger. On top of this, Haiti’s southern region was hit by an earthquake less than six weeks ago, damaging and overwhelming an already overburdened health system. When people are seeking safety in the US, putting them onto planes and forcing them into this context is beyond inhumane.”

(https://bit.ly/2ZicXNT)

Read Catholic Charities’ statement here: https://bit.ly/3zyGRtL

Read the LIRS statement here: https://bit.ly/3zFkNxA

Daniel Foote, the US special envoy to Haiti, today resigned his post. Foote’s letter of resignation states, in part:

I will not be associated with the United States[‘] inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs in control of daily life.

The people of Haiti, mired in poverty, hostage to the terror, kidnappings, robberies and massacres of armed gangs and suffering under a corrupt government with gang alliances, simply cannot support the forced infusion of thousands of returned migrants lacking food, shelter, and money without additional, avoidable human tragedy.”

(https://wapo.st/39wW5ox)

I will remind readers and Mr. Foote that these Haitians are not “illegal immigrants.” Seeking asylum is completely legal under both domestic and international law. And there is no way to apply for asylum from outside the U.S.; one must be physically present within the U.S. to apply for asylum.

Many fleeing Haitians have already found their way somehow from Haiti to South America. South America! How? They’ve since traveled across that continent, through the lawless and deadly Darien Gap on the border of Colombia and Panama, up through Central America and all of Mexico to arrive at our borders. I defy you to breathe a word about these being lazy migrants. These must be some of the bravest, strongest human beings on our planet, simply seeking a safe place to live and work and raise their families. So stop. Just stop.

What can we do? Please sign on to these letters to President Biden asking him to stop deportation flights to Haiti:
https://bit.ly/3EJ5ffV and https://bit.ly/3ABV7mR and https://bit.ly/2XRAtkA

And to this letter from faith leaders and individuals of faith: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HRA6snP1wv1vKLt2SYkILVWdI41qwP7txLmSA8r88BE/edit

Yes, sign them all. We must make our voices heard.

WELCOMED Act

Here’s an update to yesterday’s post, complete with a simple action you can take: Contact your Congressional representative and senators, and tell them you support the WELCOMED Act.

Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) recently introduced the Welcoming Evacuees Coming from Overseas to Mitigate Effects of Displacement Act of 2021, which would give Afghan evacuees with Humanitarian Parole the same benefits refugees receive, including employment authorization, access to medical and mental health care, housing and food assistance, English language classes, and job training.

Church World Service, Jesuit Service/USA, and Human Rights First all support the WELCOMED Act. I hope you will too. Here’s a sign-on letter to make things really simple! https://cwsglobal.org/…/urgent-action-tell-congress-to…/

Support for Afghans, Part 2

As we’ve watched the evacuations from Afghanistan unfold, we’re realizing with horror that many, if not most, of the Afghans coming to the U.S. come without any immigration status: they’re not refugees, as they didn’t flee to a third country and receive that status there; many do not hold special immigrant visas, mostly because the U.S. puts a cap on how many SIVs they will grant for Afghans each year; and immigrants can only apply for asylum, an expensive and lengthy process, after they arrive in the U.S. This leaves our Afghan neighbors in a precarious immigration limbo.

What does this mean in practical terms? My dear friend and fellow immigrant advocate, Hannah Martin, explains:

Something unbelievably important to know: As of right now, the people coming from Afghanistan will not have refugee status when they come to the United States. They will come without access to healthcare, without access to food stamps, without access to housing. The only assistance they will receive is $1,250 per person, which is supposed to cover housing, food, and other basic needs. Realistically we know that this is not enough. Not only will they come to the United States without refugee status, which comes with benefits and support from the government, they will also have to apply for asylum. Which means the chances of them getting to stay are in question as well as a process that has not been expedited to support them. The asylum application process is long and hard, and does not include any financial support or temporary documents. I am among the many who are hoping to see this change in the coming days. In the meantime and continuing on in their journeys (refugee status or not), our Afghan neighbors will need housing, food assistance, household items, clothing, and more. If you are able and willing, please donate gift cards and cash/checks to your local organizations supporting refugee resettlement. Here in Colorado Springs, that is Lutheran Family Services: https://www.lfsrm.org/give-now/donate/

LFS can also use volunteers to help find housing, to pick up and deliver furniture, and to drive Afghan neighbors to important appointments. If you’re interested in helping, contact ASC COS volunteer coordinator Hannah Martin: csaccompaniment@gmail.com.

Finally, this from an immigration attorney:

Here is some information about how folks who are in a stable economic position can help newly arrived Afghan folks, through completing the I-134 affidavit of support. Thank you for your patience as the process of connecting thousands of people with thousands of people takes some time.

Clarification on “Sponsoring” Vulnerable Afghans in connection with their Humanitarian Parole Applications: The type of sponsorship that we desperately need is for folks to be signing Forms I-134, which is called Affidavit of Support. Although many of the Afghans that you will be sponsoring will have their own relatives or community members to stay with and be sheltered by, many of those relatives and community members DO NOT QUALIFY TO BE “SPONSORS” due to their financial circumstances. You can find Form I-134 itself as well as the instructions to it here: https://bit.ly/3zWmuYG. I advise you to seek independent legal advice for any further explanation and legal ramifications of signing this form. There are many of my colleagues who would be more than happy to volunteer to be that independent legal counsel strictly for the purposes of advising the I-134 sponsor, and I am sure many of them who read this will volunteer for the same.

If you have legitimate interest in financially sponsoring Afghans, let me know so I can connect you with the right people. Thanks for reading, and for considering how you can best show love to our immigrant neighbors!