Haiti has been rocked by earthquakes and political unrest, which has sent many of its citizens looking for a better way of life–specifically, in America, which once stood by the poem, “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Some Congressional representatives are looking to the Biden administration to do something about this situation. According to The Hill, 100 Democratic representatives, including Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) sent a letter to President Biden to address the “disparate and often inhumane treatment” in the immigration system targeting Black migrants.
“In September 2021, as large numbers of Haitians entered the United States at the Texas border at Del Rio, we saw disturbing images and videos of border patrol agents using horses and horse reins against Black people at the border-who were carrying nothing but food and water,” the lawmakers wrote.
“For many, this incident conjured images of our country’s treatment towards enslaved Black people and highlighted longstanding concerns regarding the disparate treatment of Black migrants by immigration enforcement officials,” they added.
The letter specifically asked for an amendment to Title 42 usage, a public health authority that can prevent migrants from seeking asylum by expelling them from the U.S:
“It is time to undo the United States’ draconian immigration policies, particularly policies introduced under the Trump Administration, such as the use of Title 42, that circumvent our humanitarian obligations,” the lawmakers wrote.
Representatives also asked for the Justice and Homeland Security departments. to do a comprehensive review on how Black migrants are treated in these systems:
“As a starting point, we recommend the Department of Homeland Security, in concert with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), conduct a wholistic review of the disparate treatment of Black migrants throughout our immigration system, make available to the public the results of this review and take steps to remedy disparities at each step of the immigration enforcement process,” the lawmaker said.