Las Americas Stands in Solidarity with Haiti; Urges Biden Admin to Halt All Deportations

El PASO, TEXAS —According to recent reports, U.S. officials are planning to deport Haitians back to Haiti today, even though the country is currently experiencing a dire situation due to the presence of armed gangs, resulting in widespread violence, hunger, and a lack of access to basic services. In response, Crystal Sandoval, Director of Cross Border Initiatives at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, shared the following statement:

“Las Americas stands in solidarity with Haitians fleeing their homes under extreme duress to escape gang-driven violence, food insecurity, and deprivation that has overtaken Haiti in recent months.  It is cowardly and shameful that anyone in the U.S. government might seek to resume deportation flights to Haiti in this moment of crisis.  Such a grotesquely inhumane act is the exact opposite of the moral and caring responses this moment demands. We urge the federal government not to go ahead with this flight or any other attempts to resume deportations to Haiti.

“From our work with Haitian migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, we know how dire the situations they face can be.  We have heard them speak of the circumstances that forced them from their homes and documented the racism and exploitation that make their travels through Mexico so precarious. We call on the Biden administration to provide the humanitarian care necessary for Haitian families to survive this hardship by extending and redesignating TPS for Haiti. TPS is a lifeline that keeps families together and safe, which must be our foremost goal.  

“The Biden Administration must also expedite parole applications submitted by Haitian nationals through the CHNV program. Expediting these humanitarian parole applications will facilitate an orderly, legal process for Haitians to relocate safely during such a critical time of need.”

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