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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 25, 2021

Contact:
Jessica Orozco Guttlein
844-432-9832 Ext. 140

Hispanic Federation’s Statement on U.S. Border Patrol’s Reprehensible Mistreatment of Haitians at our Southern Border

The following is a statement from Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of Hispanic Federation:

"The videos and images of Haitian refugees being treated violently by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol at Del Rio, Texas have stirred anger in immigrant communities across the country. We share in that anger. Any migrant arriving in our country is entitled to claim asylum and to have the claim adjudicated completely, fairly, and promptly. Immigrants fleeing violence must not—they cannot—be met with violence.

We were encouraged to hear President Biden take responsibility for the events in Del Rio, condemn the actions of members of the U.S. Border Patrol, and announce that there will be a full investigation of the encounter. These are important steps and we welcome them. We expect a full and fair accounting of this terrible episode as quickly as possible and a set of specific policy reforms to ensure that it never happens again.

Still, we know that the images that we saw this week were not unique. The history of violence at our border is long, tortured, and well-documented. It is part of a decades-long culture of brutality that has defined the way we as a nation deal with undocumented immigrants. It should be a source of national shame and it is getting worse. Unfortunately, the solution to this problem can’t be found at the border, it can only be found in Congress. For years, we have been calling on Congress to enact progressive immigration reform and for years those calls have been ignored. Worse still, some members of Congress want nothing more than to enable even more violence against immigrants. We call on members of Congress—irrespective of political party—to look closely at the images of Haitian immigrants being hunted by agents on horseback and ask themselves, ‘is this the best America can do?’ We will continue to work with our allies in Congress to push even harder for a comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis.

In the short term, we remain deeply concerned about the status of Haitian migrants who have been deported back to Haiti and have credible claims that demand asylum hearings. We call on President Biden and his administration to carefully consider the impact on migrants and on Haiti of continued deportations. And we have partnered with the, Family Action Network Movement and are seeking to partner with others directly meeting this crisis on the ground to support their advocacy and legal work on behalf of Haitians who fear for their lives and the lives of their families. America’s commitment to asylum cannot waver.

President Biden ran a campaign that emphasized the humanity of immigrants and the need for an immigration system that is compassionate and welcoming. We need for him to use his considerable power to turn those campaign promises into reality.”