February 29, 2023
Contact: Paige Censale, pcensale@haitianbridge.org  

San Diego, California – On the last day of Black History Month, the United States sent yet another deportation flight to the Republic of Haiti, tearing families apart and sending people into insurmountable danger. This recent flight comes after the Biden administration agreed that Haiti’s country conditions warrant an extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Last year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged the US and other governments to “suspend the forced return of Haitians to their country taking into account the current situation in Haiti.” Today’s flight has contributed to more than 300 flights to Haiti since Biden took office. 

Furthermore, due to the severity of the insecurity crisis, the United Nations Security Council with the full backing of the Biden administration has authorized the Republic of Kenya, under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. William Ruto to lead a multinational force to the island to address the gang violence. 

Guerline Jozef, Co-founder and Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, the Black Immigrants Bail Fund, and founding member of Cameroon Advocacy Network, issued the following statement:
We call on the Biden administration to immediately halt deportations to Haiti. Black immigrants continue to be disproportionately impacted by draconian immigration laws. Our communities are over-policed, hyper vulnerable and the first to be targeted. By continuing these deportations, the administration is knowingly condemning the most vulnerable, who came to us in their time of need, to imminent danger. Deportations to Haiti are intentional violence and blatant anti-Black discrimination. The hypocrisy by the Biden-Harris administration must cease.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance further calls on the Haitian Government to prioritize the well-being of the Haitian people and reject these deportation flights on the grounds that the country is currently unsafe. It is unconscionable that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean Victor Génus would accept charter flights from the United States. Since taking office, Prime Minister Ariel Henry has continuously called on the international community for military support to address the insecurity crisis in Haiti. According to Human Rights Watch 2021 Report on Haiti, Haiti is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of violence in decades. The United Nations also reported, from January to May 2022, kidnappings rose by 36% and homicides by 17%. Miami Herald reports that it has been over two years since the assassination of Haiti’s former President, Jovenel Moïse. The power vacuum has allowed as many as 200 gangs in Haiti, and they control roughly 80% of Port-au-Prince, several other cities, key ports, and roads, according to a study commissioned by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

Last year, the Haitian Bridge Alliance joined the National Urban League, NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center in calling on President Biden to take all actions within his authority to protect majority Black immigrants who can’t return to their home countries due to armed conflict, natural disaster, or other emergent humanitarian reasons – including nationals from Haiti. We urge this administration to cease all deportations considering the deadly conditions that Haitians may face upon their arrival. Deportations to Haiti is a clear example of how the United States continues to contribute to the destabilization of the country.