Congressional Black Caucus Visits US-Mexico Border In San Ysidro After African Migrant's Death

Thousands of Black migrants from around the globe seeking new lives in America are instead stuck in limbo in Mexico. Amid reports of their mistreatment and an African migrant’s death, several members of Congress recently traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border to meet the asylum seekers.

Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) of the Congressional Black Caucus visited Tijuana, Mexico, on Friday. Also making the trip was Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus whose California district includes the border.

The Congresswomen told BET they heard “horrific” stories from about 50 “mostly young men and women” hailing from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. All have been impacted by the Migrant Protection Protocols, known informally as the “Remain In Mexico” policy. Implemented in January 2019 by the Trump Administration, the U.S. now returns non-Mexican migrants to Mexico to await immigration court decisions.

Immigration advocates told the visiting members of Congress there are at least 5,000 Black asylum seekers currently in Tapachula, Mexico -- part of an estimated 15,000 Black migrants throughout Mexico. They hail from across the Black Diaspora, with most from Cameroon, the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Haiti, according to advocates. Black migrants say they’ve faced racism, physical and sexual violence, language barriers and other trauma.

“African and Caribbean immigrants who immigrate to the United States of America are treated as if they are invisible,” said Bass, chairwoman of the 55-member CBC. “Many arrived in South America and then walked north, all to be dehumanized and mistreated at our southern border. We [went] to the border to hear what they have been through. They are an important piece of this story.”

Today, more people than ever live in countries other than the one of their birth, either by choice or necessity. According to the United Nations, the number of migrants globally in 2019 reached an estimated 272 million -- 51 million more than in 2010. Women constituted 48 percent of migrants, and about 38 million migrants are children.

Pew Research Center data indicates 4.2 million Black immigrants reside in the U.S. The reasons for their arrival vary; some are fleeing war and conflict, economic insecurity, or gender-based bias and violence. Climate change is increasingly a factor in people being displaced. Many envision new lives in America where the Statue of Liberty inscription notes in part: “Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Yet the story of immigration under Donald Trump’s presidency has been rife with controversy. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to do away with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. Created in 2012 by President Barack Obamavia executive order, DACA enabled certain undocumented immigrants who’d arrived in America before their 16th birthday to receive work permits and exemption from deportation for two years. The Supreme Court is currently deciding whether DACA is lawful and can continue; a ruling is expected in 2020.

The Trump administration has also put in place a travel ban impacting several majority Muslim countries. There was also a “zero tolerance” policy that resulted in thousands of families being forcibly separated at the southern U.S. border; babies have been torn from their mothers, and children and adults have been detained in cages. Meanwhile, Trump’s reported `s**thole’ comment about Haiti and African nations (which he denied), and determination to build a border wall have led to protests from advocacy groups and legal challenges.

“Trump’s white nationalist agenda has been harming immigrants since Day 1 of his presidency,” said Lee, a Senior Democratic Whip and senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “These cruel and bigoted policies have no place in a nation built by immigrants from all walks of life, and we all must keep pushing back so that his xenophobic vision of America does not become our America.”

After visiting Mexico, the CBC members and Rep. Vargas returned to San Ysidro, California, for a Congressional Field Hearing hosted by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Bass, who also chairs that subcommittee, said the purpose was to examine the global migrant surge from a humanitarian perspective and hear testimony from experts.

“How is it that some of the poorest nations around the world can take in people in crisis,” she asked. “What can we learn from these countries? What are the international protocols, norms, standards, and practices that should be followed? I want to know, what can we learn from other countries around the world. But mostly, I want to understand where the United States is with regard to these practices, norms and standards.”

The hearing included testimony from Doug Stephens, a lawyer and former U.S. asylum official who has challenged the legality of the Mexico policy; Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services for the Jewish Family Service of San Diego which is aiding migrants; Charanya Krishnaswami, Americas Advocacy Director for Amnesty International USA; and Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI).

Gyamfi, dedicated her remarks to the late Nebane Abienwi, a 37-year-old asylum seeker from Cameroon. He died on October 1, 2019, reportedly in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Abienwi reportedly arrived at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on September 5, 2019, requesting asylum. About two weeks later, he was sent to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. Reportedly, he experienced a hypertensive event in ICE custody, and was transported to a medical center on September 26, 2019. After undergoing treatment for a brain hemorrhage, he was later taken off life support (reportedly against his family’s wishes) and died.

“I want us to take a moment to think about why someone would risk their lives and travel thousands of miles from home to a strange land?” said Gyamfi in testimony provided to BET. “They have experienced physical harm, sexual assault, death of their family and friends, loss of personal items including documentation, family heirlooms, life’s savings and whatever little personal safety that they had. The individual and collective trauma that they hold is unimaginable.”

Gyamfi testified that the asylum process at Tapachula, Mexico, requires migrants to be taken into custody and held in the largest detention center in Latin America, known as Siglio XXI (Century 21). BAJI has been going to Tapachula since August of this year, she said. “Black migrants complain of racist maltreatment in the detention center, including being fed maggot-filled food, being denied health care and sanitary conditions, being forced to sign paperwork written in a language they do not understand, and being stripped of their nationality and declared ‘stateless.’”

Gyami added that U.S. foreign policy — from the failed war on drugs to trade issues — have exacerbated tenuous conditions abroad, spurring migration across the globe.

Rep. Clarke is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants and chairs the CBC’s Task Force on Immigration. The Congresswoman told BET she believes the crisis at the Mexican border is a direct consequence of the Trump administration’s threats of punitive measures to Mexico. There’s also been pressure on Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, known as the Northern Triangle.

Advocates say migrants from the Northern Triangle journeying to the U.S. often cross the border between Guatemala and Mexico. When that region saw an increase in Black migrants earlier this year, Mexico honored the migrants’ right to asylum and allowed them transit, exit visas and travel to its northern border to apply for asylum in the U.S.

However, after President Trump threatened to impose harsh tariffs on Mexico if it didn’t stem the flow of migrants to the border, the country changed its immigration policy to require migrants to apply for asylum and residency in Mexico. “It’s a bullying tactic,” said Clarke, “to bring the hammer down on nations that are vulnerable themselves.”

Trump and administration officials have countered criticism of its immigration policies by saying they are meant to secure U.S borders, prevent criminals from entering, and protect American workers and resources. In a November 14 press briefing, Mark Morgan, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, suggested Congress was to blame.

“If you recall, earlier this year we sounded an alarm — actually, quite a bit — with respect to the border crisis and asking Congress repeatedly to act to fix the loopholes in our broken immigration system, and close the gaps driving this crisis. Unfortunately, not a single piece of meaningful legislation has been brought forward.”

He continued, “And as a result, this country stood by and watched as the crisis worsened, as we reached our peak in May of over 140,000 apprehensions in a single month. However, in the continued absence of congressional action, the President, along with his administration, as well as our hardworking men and women of the Customs and Border Protection and our partner agencies, has taken action. Through continued engagement with the government of Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries, we have initiated a network of initiatives, policies, and of regulations to stem the flow of the migration. Together, we are approaching this as the regional crisis that it is, and we have seen incredible success.”

Immigration has proven a partisan issue in Congress, but legislation has been introduced. Among the latest is the Refugee Protection Act of 2019. U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) are among the lawmakers who led the introduction of the measure. In a press release, the measure is described as a “comprehensive blueprint for restoring and reinvigorating U.S. refugee and asylum systems.” The Senate bill is cosponsored by at least 16 lawmakers, while a companion House bill is cosponsored by at least 31 members.

“The United States must always be a place where refugees are welcomed and encouraged to contribute to society,” said Harris, who added that the measure would help guarantee that refugees and asylum-seekers are welcomed and supported, and “that our immigration system respects the basic dignity of every human being.”

Chicago mayor: City won't cooperate over reported ICE raids

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said she would take “concrete steps” to support immigrant communities after reports emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would begin raids this weekend to round up families who have received deportation orders.

Lightfoot said in a statement Friday that she directed Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to terminate ICE’s access to the Chicago Police Department’s databases related to immigration enforcement activities.

“I have also personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any such raids,” Lightfoot tweeted.

“Chicago will always be a welcoming city and a champion for the rights of our immigrant and refugee communities, and I encourage any resident in need of legal aid to contact the National Immigrant Justice Center.”

The ICE operation set to begin Sunday is reportedly expected to target up to 2,000 families facing deportation orders in up to 10 cities with large immigrant communities, including Houston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Maxine Waters calls on supporters to confront Trump officials

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Saturday called on her supporters at a rally to confront Trump Cabinet officials in public spaces like restaurants and department stores to protest the administration's policies.

"I have no sympathy for these people that are in this administration who know it is wrong what they're doing on so many fronts but they tend to not want to confront this president," Waters said at a Los Angeles rally on Saturday.

"For these members of his cabinet who remain and try to defend him they're not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they're not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they're not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they're going to protest, they're going to absolutely harass them until they decide that they're going to tell the president 'no I can't hang with you, this is wrong this is unconscionable and we can't keep doing this to children,'" she continued.

Waters' call comes as the Trump administration faces major backlash over the handling of its "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which has resulted in the separation of immigrant families.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Kamala Harris calls on Homeland Secretary Nielsen to resign over family separation policy

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Monday called on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that separates families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read Sen. Harris' statement below:

"The government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart," Harris sad in statement. "And the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability. Under Secretary Nielsen's tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither. As a result, she must resign."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Black Mayors Vow “To Protect Immigrants”

Toni Harp, the president of the African-American Mayors Association — made the following statement vowing to protect immigrants on behalf of “more than 500” black mayors across the country:

“This nation has always been a melting pot of people from different countries, different ethnicities and different races. Rather than celebrating this diversity, the current Administration continues to attack immigrants and people of color, many of whom have spent their entire lives in the U.S. and do not know another home. Nearly 44 million immigrants currently reside in the U.S. Over 20 million of them are naturalized citizens. Thirty six percent of U.S.-born children of immigrants are college graduates— 5 percent higher than the national average —and 64 percent are homeowners, which is on par with the national average. Immigrants are our neighbors, colleagues and friends and are productive members of our society.

“Mayors have an obligation to defend the cities they are elected to serve, and protect society’s most vulnerable citizens. The rhetoric coming out of the White House is disheartening and offensive to the hardworking immigrants living and working legally across the country. The cities we represent are not ridden with gangs, cartels and criminals as this Administration claims. In fact, a 2017 Cato Institute study found that the 2014 incarceration rate for 18 to 54 year-old immigrants — both authorized and unauthorized — was considerably lower than that of the U.S.-born population.

“It’s time this Administration holds itself to a higher standard. This is not a country of racists and bigots. We are a country that proudly houses a diverse population, each with a unique background and story. It is un-American to attack immigrants and the people seeking to protect them. We stand with the hundreds of mayors who want their cities to remain safe places for immigrants to call home. Our communities will continue to safeguard American values, and remain welcoming places for all, for the sake of our security and our national character.”

NAACP sues Homeland Security over Haiti immigration policy

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) designation for Haitian immigrants discriminates against immigrants of color, in violation of the Fifth Amendment, according to a new lawsuit filed today on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

The lawsuit claims that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), former Acting DHS Secretary Elaine C. Duke, and current DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson took irrational and discriminatory government action, denying Haitian immigrants their right to due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.  The NAACP, acting on behalf of its Haitian members who are TPS protected, argues that DHS intended to discriminate against Haitian immigrants living in the United States because of their race and national origin.

“This is a simple case. Our democracy rests on the bedrock principle that every person is equal before the law. Governmental decisions that target people based on racial discrimination violate our Constitution,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. “The decision by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants was infected by racial discrimination. Every step taken by the Department to reach this decision reveals that far from a rational and fact-based determination, this decision was driven by calculated, determined and intentional discrimination against Haitian immigrants.”

“The action by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants is clearly racially motivated,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. “The U.S. Constitution prohibits singling out certain immigrants for harsh treatment based on their skin color and/or ethnicity.  But more than that, basic fairness militates against this draconian action taken by DHS under the direction of President Trump.”

The lawsuit seeks to enjoin DHS’s November 2017 decision to rescind Temporary Protective Status for Haitian immigrants, as it reflects “an egregious departure from the TPS statute’s requirements and the intent to discriminate on the basis of race.” The lawsuit also asks the Court to declare that DHS violated the United States Constitution and the rule of law in rescinding the Haitian TPS, and to declare the action void and without legal force.

As evidence of the intent to discriminate, the lawsuit cites public reporting that DHS sought crime data on Haitians with TPS, as well as information on how many Haitian nationals were receiving public benefits. The lawsuit alleges that the Department’s efforts to gather this specific data on Haitian TPS designees “trades on false anti-Black stereotypes about criminality and exploitation of public benefits, and suggests the effort to manufacture a public safety rationale for the planned rescission.”

The complaint further alleges that President Trump’s public hostility toward immigrants of color was a contributing factor in the decision to rescind Haitian TPS. For example, in a recently reported White House meeting with several U.S. Senators, Trump disparaged a draft immigration plan that protected people from Haiti, El Salvador and some African countries, and noted his preference for immigrants from mostly white European countries.  Earlier in 2017, the President suggested that Haitians “all have AIDS,” upon learning that 15,000 Haitians had received visas to enter the United States. He reportedly asked, “Why do we need more Haitians?”

“It’s disheartening to see the Haitian community targeted and mistreated in this way, but it also is not surprising,” said Raymond Audain, Senior Counsel at LDF. “This decision reflects a shameful and persistent pattern of conduct by this Administration in which racial stereotypes drive policy decisions.”

Haitian immigrants first received Temporary Protective Status in 2010 as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to assist the country after it was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. Haiti’s TPS designations have been extended multiple times due to many factors, including multiple hurricanes and a cholera outbreak. On November 20, 2017, the DHS announced its plans to terminate temporary protective status for Haiti, which would go into effect in May 2019, ignoring bipartisan pleas to extend TPS designation for Haitian immigrants.

“Our great nation fought a civil war to establish the bedrock principle that the government may not discriminate against any person, whether citizen or non-citizen, based on that person’s race or ethnicity.  The NAACP stands ready to challenge any violation of that principle, as today’s action clearly demonstrates,” said Bradford M. Berry, General Counsel of the NAACP.

The full complaint can be read here.

Pres. Obama statement on Trump rescinding DACA

Former president Barack Obama released the following statement in response to Trump rescinding DACA in which he referred to the move as cruel. Read his statement below:

Immigration can be a controversial topic. We all want safe, secure borders and a dynamic economy, and people of goodwill can have legitimate disagreements about how to fix our immigration system so that everybody plays by the rules.

But that’s not what the action that the White House took today is about. This is about young people who grew up in America – kids who study in our schools, young adults who are starting careers, patriots who pledge allegiance to our flag. These Dreamers are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants. They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even know a language besides English. They often have no idea they’re undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver’s license.

Over the years, politicians of both parties have worked together to write legislation that would have told these young people – our young people – that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve been here a certain number of years, and if you’re willing to go to college or serve in our military, then you’ll get a chance to stay and earn your citizenship. And for years while I was President, I asked Congress to send me such a bill.

That bill never came. And because it made no sense to expel talented, driven, patriotic young people from the only country they know solely because of the actions of their parents, my administration acted to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people, so that they could continue to contribute to our communities and our country. We did so based on the well-established legal principle of prosecutorial discretion, deployed by Democratic and Republican presidents alike, because our immigration enforcement agencies have limited resources, and it makes sense to focus those resources on those who come illegally to this country to do us harm. Deportations of criminals went up. Some 800,000 young people stepped forward, met rigorous requirements, and went through background checks. And America grew stronger as a result.

But today, that shadow has been cast over some of our best and brightest young people once again. To target these young people is wrong – because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. What if our kid’s science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?

Let’s be clear: the action taken today isn’t required legally. It’s a political decision, and a moral question. Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us. They are that pitcher on our kid’s softball team, that first responder who helps out his community after a disaster, that cadet in ROTC who wants nothing more than to wear the uniform of the country that gave him a chance. Kicking them out won’t lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone’s taxes, or raise anybody’s wages.

It is precisely because this action is contrary to our spirit, and to common sense, that business leaders, faith leaders, economists, and Americans of all political stripes called on the administration not to do what it did today. And now that the White House has shifted its responsibility for these young people to Congress, it’s up to Members of Congress to protect these young people and our future. I’m heartened by those who’ve suggested that they should. And I join my voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young people feel.

Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be.

What makes us American is not a question of what we look like, or where our names come from, or the way we pray. What makes us American is our fidelity to a set of ideals – that all of us are created equal; that all of us deserve the chance to make of our lives what we will; that all of us share an obligation to stand up, speak out, and secure our most cherished values for the next generation. That’s how America has traveled this far. That’s how, if we keep at it, we will ultimately reach that more perfect union.

Sorry Trump but President Obama did not pardon Chelsea Manning

By George L. Cook III African American Reports

Trump pardoned Sheriff (I'm a racist) Joe Arpaio this past weekend, and it caused a stir among both Democrats and sane Republicans alike. But of course, there were those Trump sycophants that rushed out to defend what their idol had done. They quickly used the "President Obama did it!" defense. Their common refrain and Trump's is that President Obama pardoned that traitor (their words not mine) Chelsea Manning. Problem with that talking point is that it never happened.

Obama commuted Manning's sentence. In Criminal Law, commutation is the substitution of a lesser punishment for a greater one. So instead of doing a thirty-five-year sentence Manning only did seven, which by the way is the longest term anyone has ever served for the type of crimes he committed. Manning's record will not be expunged; she will forever be a convicted felon.

What Trump did for Arpaio is something altogether different. He gave Arpaio a full pardon. So what that means is that not only will Arpaio never serve a minute in prison but that his crimes didn't happen. So after violating the human rights of thousands and violating a judge's direct order the sheriff goes just goes free, no record, no nothing.

Here's the definition of pardon from legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com:

A president or governor may grant a full (unconditional) pardon or a conditional pardon. The granting of an unconditional pardon fully restores an individual's civil rights forfeited upon conviction of a crime and restores the person's innocence as though he or she had never committed a crime.

So you see Manning will carry the stain of what she did for the rest of her life. Arpiao can just pretend he never did anything wrong because there will be no legal record of his wrongdoings.

In short one president, Obama made sure justice was served while the other, Trump performed a miscarriage of justice.

By George L. Cook III African American Reports

Newark N.J. will remain a sanctuary city

In light of the election of Donald Trump, Newark N.J. mayor Ras Baraka has made the following statement that Newark will stand by undocumented residents:

"Newark already has a policy of protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation by U.S. immigration authorities. Despite the election of Donald Trump, we see no reason to change that policy,"

"In Newark, we comply with federal immigration agencies, but insist that detainer requests be handled constitutionally. I hope that no president would violate those principles, the very foundation of our nation, by taking punitive action against cities that are simply protecting the well-being of residents,"

Steps President Obama is taking to fix Immigration System

Here's how President Obama is using his executive authority to increase accountability and fix our broken immigration system. Learn more at WhiteHouse.gov/Immigration-Action.