Biden Administration Deporting Haitians in South Texas
During Biden’s presidential campaign, he criticized Trump’s deportation system and preached his devotion to bettering the circumstances for illegal immigrants fleeing to America. On the Biden Harris campaign website, it reads, “Generations of immigrants have come to this country with little more than the clothes on their backs, the hope in their heart, and a desire to claim their own piece of the American Dream… Under a Biden Administration, we will never turn our backs on who we are or that which makes us uniquely and proudly American.” Recently, Human Rights activists and Democratic lawmakers have questioned Biden’s commitment to his previous incentive. With the influx of Haitian refugees arriving at Texas’ southern border, the Biden administration has seemingly forgotten its promise to “never turn [its] back'' on immigrants and instead has begun to organize their mass deportation. Haitians have been fleeing to America in large numbers for years, but in the past few months, this number has risen significantly. With Haiti’s past president recently assassinated and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake killing thousands, Haiti’s economy, public health safety, and political legitimacy are becoming worse. Hence why over 14,000 refugees have escaped to the Del Rio camp in Southern Texas: this number increasing daily.
Source: https://www.wjhl.com/news/politics/thousands-of-haitian-migrants-converge-on-texas-border-town/
Because conducting foreign affairs is an enumerated federal power, the Biden administration has taken charge of the immigration issue. They have been conducting deportation flights since August, with only a brief pause for when Haiti’s destructive earthquake initially struck. Flights have resumed since, and Biden plans on beginning his new, more rapid deportation system as soon as September 19. This consists of potentially up to eight flights of refugees out of Texas per day. Although the exact number is undetermined, the U.S. is currently willing to send as many flights as Haiti will accept, highlighting the Biden administration’s eagerness to send back these asylum-seeking refugees. Hundreds of Border Patrol agents are also being sent to control the area where the migrants are currently settling.
Right now, the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is at its all-time high as compared to the past two decades. Marsha Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, claims that “Irregular migration poses a significant threat to the health and welfare of border communities and to the lives of migrants themselves and should not be attempted” (The Washington Post). Because of these reasons, the Biden administration justifies its rapid deportation strategy and hopes that it will deter future refugees from making their way to the United States. While Democrats are fighting against this border policy for being too strict, Republican Congress members are criticizing it for being too loose.
Finally, the Biden administration promised to end Trump’s restrictive policies on asylum-seekers, one of which being the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy. This is a system in which asylum-seekers shelter in Mexico as their American asylum status is pending. However, this often risks their health and/or leaves them in unsafe circumstances. Biden, who originally halted this program at the beginning of his presidency, is now looking to reinstate it.
Overall, I stand against the Biden administration’s decisions in this situation. After promising to fight for asylum-seekers human rights, the administration has not stuck to its word. Although they want to decrease the influx of refugees crossing the border, they cannot simply deny them their right to seek asylum and safety in America. Instead, they are being sent back to a place of violence and civil unrest, ignoring these refugees' safety.
Questions:
How do you think Biden's team should deal with the Haitian refugees?
Do you think that the Biden administration is justified in its actions?
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/us/politics/biden-administration-haiti-texas.html
https://joebiden.com/immigration/
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/sep/19/haitian-migrants-undaunted-by-us-deportation-plans/
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/16/biden-title-42-blocked-asylum-512271
8 comments:
Even with the influx of illegal immigrants entering the United States, I don't think that what the administration is doing with Haitian immigrants is justified. Haitians have been immigrating to America in hopes to have better opportunities and safer lives. With the political climate and damage done by the earthquake, it is understandable and justifiable to leave a country that could not support you. After traveling and most likely paying considerable amounts of money to make it safely to America, only to be turned away is most definitely heart-wrenching for those who thought they could find a better life. Many of which are pregnant women who are hoping to find better lives for their children. After reading the blog, I did end up looking up some possible solutions to this humanitarian crisis. To summarize, the article talked about improving MPP, strengthening immigration institutions in both Mexico and the U.S., the U.S. working with Mexico to share information on Smuggling Networks, and creating more legal pathways for migration. Overall, I think there is much more to be done rather than just deporting those in need.
If you would like to read the article referenced: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/strategic-solutions-united-states-and-mexico-manage-migration-crisis
The first question we should all be asking is why are these people making such an unfathomable dangerous and treacherous trek in the first place if not to flee something they see as worse. In this situation, there should be no outcome that leads the U.S. to close its doors. The complicated process of becoming a U.S. citizen needs to be much simpler for all immigrants, but especially those seeking asylum. On top of that, it needs to be much easier for the illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. to become citizens or have legal status under the law. On top of already contributing to society, we leave this population at risk for violence and crime and fear of police cooperation. I will respond to the previous comment and say that the MPP part of the solution was essentially put in place by the Trump administration and was quite problematic. More info on how to improve the immigration process by the Cato institution:https://www.cato.org/study/reforming-immigration-system-brief-outline#allow-ice-drop-charges-grant-status
Haitians are currently suffering from natural disasters, government corruption, and cycles of violence. In recent months, tropical depression and chaos from the assassination of their president has led many to lose shelter and seek asylum. While the Biden administration has allowed more than 300,000 people from six countries (including Haiti) who arrived in the US before December 2022 to apply for Temporary Protected Status, many of them have been prohibited from entering the U.S. under Title 42. This policy turns away Haitians based on pandemic-related concerns despite outcries from public health experts who have repeatedly affirmed that these migrants can be admitted to the country safely.
As a result, thousands of Haitians are stuck in Mexico with no way to cross the border or go home as Mexican authorities refuse to accept the masses. While instability fuels the region as politicians clash to fill the power vacuum created by the assassination, Haitians continue to be trapped in cyclical poverty and violence.
What Biden can do, however, is to repeal Title 42 and adopt an open immigration policy. Granting immigrants to more Haitians would give them the ability to work in the U.S. and send money to their families back home, hastening the rebuilding process and stimulating a struggling economy.
- https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22630728/haiti-earthquake-immigration-biden-tps
- https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-authorities-accelerate-removal-haitians-us-mexico-border-2021-09-18/
Here's another source on this subject, written by AHS Alum Jack Herrera, who has been reporting from the Southern border for a few years now:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/23/del-rio-desperation-dysfunction-immigration-513978
With immigration, the disparity between the urgency of the immigrant's situation and the reality of US policy, is where the problem lies. I think the Biden administration overpromised the degree of change they could deliver in terms of assistance to illegal immigrants, and because of this overwhelming force of Haitian immigration, he's having to rescind his word and revert to previous administration's protocol. This has taken the sincerity away from his message to the demographic that is effected by illegal immigration, and is why I think the administration's actions are not justified. The Haitian people are fleeing and risking their own health and safety, and they would not be doing this if unless they couldn't afford to wait. To really help illegal immigrants as Biden promised, he needs to look at how he can use his powers as the leader of an influential country to make the situation better in Haiti, rather than seeing the problem accumulating in the US and then sending the scared citizens back into danger and insecurity as if it's none of this country's concern.
This article gives a little insight into how Haitian advocates in the US are taking the situation: https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/us-world/2021-09-25/haitian-advocates-criticize-biden-say-haiti-needs-reform-before-migrants-are-deported-there
It's important to acknowledge that inciting change would not be easy or immediate, but putting an effort into the cause would be a good place to start for Biden's administration. The look it has right now, after exemplifying a panic response to a problem he promised to devote time to is not one that's going to garner him more resect or popularity.
While Biden is faced with the challenge of protecting our borders while maintaining American humanitarian standards, he chose to stray a little too far from American values in this scenario. If migrants are making the journey from their home countries and risk their safety, not just Haiti but all undocumented immigrants, what are they running from? America needs to maintain its status as the land of opportunity, and the current immigration practices do not foster that. There must be a better path for those living in the United States to gain citizenship. Biden has fought tirelessly to protect a policy that Trump enacted, called Title 42, which denies asylum rights to migrants during the pandemic. These actions have raised concerns about just how similar Biden's policies are to Trump's. While only about 56% of migrants were turned away at the border, many immigration groups argue that the deterrence-first approach is wrong altogether. As a whole, the current immigration system for those fleeing dire conditions could heavily be improved upon. Policies need to be put in place to create a clear path to legal immigration for those that seek it, especially for those in emergency conditions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/us/politics/biden-immigration-border-haitians.html
One of the guiding principles for immigration policy in the United States is the protection of refugees, yet actions taken by the government, which involve sending fleeing refugees back to the countries from which they came and denying asylum, seem to constantly negate this principle. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 granted the President the power to consult with Congress each year in order to decide the number of refugees that would be allowed into the country, however after the events on September 11, 2001, the number of refugees allowed in the U.S. fell sharply. Even more so, the Trump administration lowered the already declining numbers from around 110,000 at the beginning of his term, to around 30,000 by the end, highlighting the trend to restrict rather then permit and help refugees seeking safety and residence in the U.S. Biden prevented a further decline by raising this number to over 60,000 for 2021, however to date has admitted less than 10,000 refugees, clearly far short of the set agreement. This low number of refugees admitted however is not due to a decrease in the push for immigration by refugees, but largely due to Biden's desire to minimize the number of people entering the country during the pandemic, and he has been upholding this stance with defense provided under Title 42 which cites the pandemic as a reason to prevent immigration into the U.S. Of course, the virus is a valid and crucial concern for the government when deciding how to proceed with allowing or denying entry to many refugees, however there are ways to integrate refugees safely, and allow the Haitian refugees at the border currently better and safer futures. With full acknowledgment of the impact the pandemic has had and continues to have on immigration, I think that the approach by the Biden Administration is frankly contradictory and unmotivated, and there should be much more effort going into figuring out ways to admit refugees safely than in figuring out ways to send them back, which is entirely cruel and backwards. Haitian people have had a long history with regards to immigrating to the U.S., or trying to, and it is worrying to see how vary little has changed since the 2010 earthquake which devastated the island and brought a wave of refugees to the U.S. border. I remember making kits to send for Haiti following this earthquake as a kindergartner, so thinking about how much time has passed yet the persistence of mistreatment of refugees saddens me. There needs to be more understanding for refugees seeking new homes away from horrible situations, and the government should be channeling efforts into organizing a solid framework for permitting refugees rather than for rejecting them.
I completely agree with Mary - the Biden administration promised too much with no real plans to change policy. It's obvious that the democrats want to make some sort of change to Trump-time public health emergency ostensible reasoning at curving asylum, however, they've come at a loss at the Haitians' expenses. The Biden administration seems to be making band-aid changes to policy, like outlawing horses, to cover up the brutality of the immigration progress. They're looking for ways to stop producing inhumane photos, instead of getting to the root of the problem. Their priorities are in passing the 3.5 trillion dollar bill in congress, not in addressing the border problem and it shows.
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