Washington, DC – Just days into the observance of Las Posadas and on the eve of International Migrants Day, President Biden sent the 100th expulsion flight to Haiti in less than three months. These nearly daily flights have resulted in the removal of over 10,700 Haitians who sought refuge in the United States, nearly half of whom were women and children. This distressing milestone comes shortly after the Biden administration reinstated and expanded the so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” or “Remain in Mexico” policy – an inhumane, asylum-blocking measure that, along with Title 42, has denied migrants their internationally recognized right to seek asylum.
Many people of faith across the globe have begun to observe Las Posadas, which commemorates the journey that Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to Jesus. While these faith communities join together to remember the refugee journey of their spiritual ancestors, people of faith urge the Biden administration to #WelcomeWithDignity by putting an end to Title 42 and “Remain in Mexico,” and restoring access to asylum.
“The reality that the Biden administration continues to consistently and unabashedly expel Haitian migrants through over 100 deportation flights in less than three months is abhorrent and immoral,” stated Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries. “President Biden and his administration promised to fight racism against Haitians, and to restore meaningful asylum protections that welcome persons seeking protections with the God-given dignity each person deserves. Instead, it is unconscionable that the administration–despite being acutely aware of the multiple political, environmental, economic, and health instabilities of Haiti–is enforcing the dangerous and anti-Black policy of Title 42 that has now sent nearly 11,000 Haitians back to life threatening conditions. In this Christmas season, we must turn from all Herod style practices where the powerful threaten families and multiply traumas, and instead offer welcome and peace.”
“Haitians have contributed to this great nation over generations as brave soldiers, doctors, nurses, pilots, pastors, and business leaders. Yet, Haitians continue to suffer because of bad and racist policies that demean our shared history,” said Rev. Daniel Ulysse, General Secretary, Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association. “We demand justice and equality in this country that we have helped to make strong. As faith leaders, we remember President Biden’s promises to our community to end the policy of Title 42, halt Haitian deportations, eliminate “Remain in Mexico,” and stop supporting the current government of Haiti which is pushing Haitians to need to flee. Today, we insist that President Biden deliver on his promises made to end the cruel policies that continue to cause pain and separate families.”
“As a pastor, I know all of God’s children deserve respect and a safe home – regardless of where they were born,” stated Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life. “Our Haitian neighbors must be treated with humanity and allowed to exercise their human right to seek asylum in this country. For years, Faith in Public Life and the diverse faith community have worked in solidarity with the immigrant-led movement for an immigration system that honors dignity and families. Just as we fought deportations during the Obama administration and the Trump administration’s brutal and evil treatment of families at the border, we continue working for immigrant justice today. We call on the Biden administration to halt all deportations to Haiti, and end the use of Title 42 and “Remain in Mexico.” We must welcome people with dignity, not drive them away with violence and callousness.”
“We are outraged at the Biden administration for their racist treatment of Haitians seeking refuge,” stated Peniel Ibe, IIC co-chair and Policy Engagement Coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee. “It is utterly disgraceful yet not surprising to witness the expulsion flights being carried out by the Biden administration while the people of Haiti face some of the worst crises in their nation’s history. This administration continues to flout promises of dignity while subjecting immigrants to dehumanizing experiences. When will it end? There is no more explicit proof of anti-Black racism in immigration than what’s being done to Haitian migrants today: the delayed TPS designation, ongoing deportations and expulsions, detention of families, the expansion of “Remain in Mexico,” and cruel and inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants seeking nothing more than to survive the horrors from which they’ve been forced to flee. Our demands of the U.S. government are not new, and the Biden Administration can no longer proceed like they do not know what it means to welcome with dignity. The Biden Administration must do everything possible to provide humanitarian protections for our Haitian neighbors.”
“The inhumane treatment of Haitians seeking refuge is horrifying and a continuation of the U.S.’s deep history of anti-Black violence and discrimination,” said Elissa Diaz, IIC co-chair and Policy and Advocacy Manager at Church World Service. “We are shocked by the administration’s continued deportations and expulsions of Haitian asylum seekers and migrants despite Haiti’s unstable, compounding political and environmental conditions. It is vital that the administration immediately end “Remain in Mexico” and Title 42, and restore asylum protections, urgently halt all deportation flights and expulsions to Haiti, and provide Haitians with the opportunity for humanitarian protection. It is well past time for the U.S. to welcome people with dignity and for the Biden administration to honor its commitment to humane and just immigration policy.”
“FAN joins the chorus of faith organizations who decry the inhumane treatment of Haitians at the U.S. southern border and calls on the Biden administration to stop expulsions of thousands of Haitians to a country ridden with extreme poverty, political upheaval after the assassination of President Moise, and earthquake devastation,” stated Sister Marie Lucey, OSF, Associate Director of Franciscan Action Network. “Black Lives Matter not only in this country, but also in Haiti, with the thousands of Black Haitian lives seeking refuge from horrific situations. Yes, the increase of migrants present at the border is challenging. But the United States is not a small, helpless country. We can meet the challenges if we have the will.”
“When confronted with many thousands of Haitians who are seeking a place of refuge from devastations of natural disasters, compounded by political upheaval, the U.S. response is to expedite repatriations,” said Katie Adams, Domestic Policy Advocate, The United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries. “There’s not an ounce of recognition that the calamity many face in Haiti lies directly at the feet of U.S. foreign policy for centuries. It’s been less than 100 years since the brutal occupation of Haiti by the U.S. and many years fewer since the U.S. withdrew their dictatorial hand over the affairs of the island nation. The administration is using the same tactics as the Trump administration – brutal intimidation and treatment as well as a reliance on violence and deprivation as deterrence. We call on the Biden administration to immediately halt deportation flights through a humanitarian moratorium and release Haitians in immigration detention. We must put an end to the mis-use of public health code Title 42, the so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols,” and stop all expulsions so that we can restore access to asylum.”
“Title 42 is an inhumane policy that denies people their legal right to seek asylum,” said Naomi Steinberg, Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, HIAS. “We need no greater reminder of the cruelty of this policy than the horrifying images we saw this fall of Haitian asylum seekers huddled under a bridge and running to avoid being trampled by horses at the U.S. Southern border. The Biden administration must immediately take several key steps, including rescinding Title 42, issuing a new termination memo for the Migrant Protection Protocols and halting deportation flights to Haiti while the country is still reeling from a myriad of disasters. As the United States urges countries neighboring Afghanistan to allow Afghan asylum seekers to enter their territories to seek protection, for us not to do the same at our own border is unconscionable.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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