Immigration Equality Denounces Biden Administration’s Expulsion of Haitian Migrants and Asylum Seekers
New York, NY (September 22, 2021) — Statement from Bridget Crawford, Legal Director, Immigration Equality about the U.S. government’s cruelty toward Haitian migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S. border:
“Over 10,000 Haitian migrants and asylum seekers are waiting at America’s doorstep, but the Biden administration won’t uphold their basic right to ask for protection. This is blatantly illegal and morally reprehensible. Many of these people are asylum seekers who face grave danger if returned to Haiti. They have traveled thousands of miles to escape a country torn apart by devastating earthquakes and political turmoil.
“For LGBTQ people in particular, expulsion means returning to a society that rejects them. They are frequent targets of violence and sexual assault, including by the police. In 2019 the leader of Haiti’s LGBTQ rights movement was found dead at his home, and his organization was the target of multiple attacks. The country is fundamentally unsafe for the queer and transgender community.
“Instead of welcoming Haitian asylum seekers as the U.S. should, the Biden administration is sending them back to life-threatening conditions. We call on the administration to halt the deportation flights immediately and end Title 42 in its entirety. The disturbing images of border agents on horseback chasing down terrified Haitian migrants go against the administration’s professed ideals. Shame on the Biden administration for embracing this xenophobic and illegal Trump-era policy and mistreating vulnerable migrants.”
CONTACT
Kristen Thompson, Communications Director, Immigration Equality
310-780-0736 | kthompson@immigrationequality.org
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Immigration Equality is the nation’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization. We represent and advocate for people from around the world fleeing violence, abuse, and persecution because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.
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