Demands End to Brutal Treatment of Refugees
September 21, 2021, New York — Today the Haiti Support Project (HSP) condemned the brutal treatment and mass deportation of Haitian migrants who have gathered at the Texas border seeking refuge from the devastation of the recent earthquake, a series of hurricanes and tropical storms and a deepening political crisis following the mysterious assassination of President Jovenel Moise two months ago.
Plagued for decades by grinding poverty, Haiti’s economy has virtually ground to a halt as a result of the natural disasters and chronic political instability. Kidnappings and turf wars between rival gangs have also terrorized the population. Taken together, these cruel living conditions have spurred yet another exodus from Haiti by people desperate for a safe place for their families only to be further brutalized by U.S. Border Patrol Agents. “We are absolutely outraged by the images of Haitians being herded and whipped like cattle” complained Dr. Ron Daniels, Founder of HSP. “In the minds of African Americans, it conjures up traumatic images of water hoses turned on Black children in Birmingham and horses trampling protesters on the Edmund Pettis Bridge. No human being should be brutalized like this. It must stop immediately.” HSP is demanding an immediate halt to the mass deportation of Haitians and the granting of Temporary Protective Status.
HSP is calling on Congressman Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, who has taken a particular interest in resolving the political crisis in Haiti, to mobilize the Congressional Black Caucus, Civil Rights and Human Rights leaders to support the demand for Temporary Protective Status and Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti.
In the meanwhile, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Boston, Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez of New York are also appealing to the Biden Administration to immediately halt deportations and take urgent action to provide massive support to assist the Haitian people in the wake of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti last month.
“The Biden Administration cannot claim it is doing everything it can to support the Haitian community while continuing to unjustly deport Haitians as the island weathers its worst political, public health and economic crises yet,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “We have a moral obligation to lead with compassion. That means immediately halting the cruel and callous deportations of our Haitian neighbors and leveraging every resource available to support those fleeing the humanitarian crisis on the island.”
For further information or to arrange interviews contact Don Rojas by using our contact form here or direct emails to info@ibw21.org
Featured: Image: U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
