The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) denounces the Biden administration’s continued deportations of asylum seekers to Haiti, a country which the administration itself has acknowledged to be unsafe and unstable. Despite the most recent round of violent civil unrest that has embroiled Haiti since February, the government today sent its second deportation flight to Haiti, with people seeking asylum on board. Nayna Gupta, associate director of policy at NIJC, responded with the following statement:
“Both Congress and the administration have a moral obligation to halt such deportations which place Haitian people and their loved ones in grave danger upon arrival to Haiti. Deporting people to a country where they will face certain violence and instability is a violation of basic human rights. NIJC additionally calls on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) so that Haitians here in the United States can continue to live and thrive with the protection and status they deserve, free from the fear of deportation.
“Key members of Congress and immigrant rights leaders echoed this urgent call to protect the lives of Haitians just last week in a press conference on Capitol Hill where they underscored the need for the administration to provide humanitarian and economic assistance to help stabilize Haiti and simultaneously extend TPS for Haiti while halting all deportations. These requests have been reiterated in multiple congressional letters and advocacy efforts, but the administration continues to violate its stated commitment to racial justice and basic human rights by placing Haitian lives in danger.
“Deportation violates the dignity and safety of asylum seekers and immigrants while imposing irreparable harm on people and their families including sometimes even death. NIJC urges the Biden administration to end its egregious use of deportation against Haitians."