Just Neighbors condemns the deplorable treatment of Haitians seeking safety here in the U.S.:

On May 22, 2021, the U.S. government redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the political crises and the devastation still wrought by the Haitian earthquake 11 years ago.  Announcing the TPS designation, DHS Secretary Mayorkas noted:  “Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

Despite the acknowledgment that Haiti is not equipped to safely and effectively repatriate Haitians living in the U.S., the federal government has commenced deporting new Haitian arrivals; it has treated many of those new Haitians in the most deplorable fashion recently documented by photos and videos posted in the media.

The disparate treatment of Haitian asylum seekers, such as those currently entering the U.S. through our southern border, has a long and racially charged history here in the U.S.  

Just Neighbors joins others in condemning the treatment of the recent Haitian arrivals and calls on the U.S. to stop deporting ALL Haitians, whether recent entrants or long-term residents of the U.S. to Haiti.  

For those Just Neighbors supporters who wish to understand more about the historically racist treatment of Haitians by the U.S. government, listen to "The Other Side of the Water:  Immigration and the Promise of Racial Justice" at https://www.jeanvnelson35.org/podcast  and call your Senators and Congresspeople to condemn the recent treatment of our Haitian brothers and sisters.