Haitian Immigrants

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Human Rights Watch - Title 42

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/21/us-treatment-haitian-migrants-discriminatory

The images and video from Del Rio of predominantly white federal agents on horses wielding long reins and chasing Black migrants recall the often unexamined and disturbing US history of racial and ethnic violence, including by border patrols, slave patrols, and vigilantes, Human Rights Watch said. Such legacies of discrimination have informed how many people in the United States perceive law enforcement actions today. In 2019, local law enforcement officials in Texas recognized the “negative perception” of their actions and apologized after an image circulated online showing white police officers leading an arrested, handcuffed Black man with a rope while mounted on their horses.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, when questioned about the recent border images, said, “I can’t imagine what context would make that appropriate,” while declining to comment on the need for any accountability measures for excessive use of force.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who traveled to Del Rio, told the media that “to ensure control of the horse, long reins are used, but we are going to investigate the facts to ensure that the situation is, as we understand it to be. If it’s anything different, we will respond accordingly.” Subsequently, DHS announced a disciplinary investigation into the “extremely troubling” footage and stated that Mayorkas had ordered internal oversight of the agents’ conduct at the Del Rio migrant camp.

The Biden administration should actively confront and address the history of systemic racism in US immigration enforcement, and urgently overhaul racially discriminatory policies like Title 42, Human Rights Watch said.