Texas - The horrific images and stories from Del Rio, TX this week indicate the United States’ treatment of Haitian asylum seekers at the border is not just abhorrent, but a violation of their human rights. Individuals and families who traveled thousands of miles to seek a better life are still being met with mass deportation and, as we saw this week, faced brutal treatment at the hands of CBP agents on horseback who were photographed grabbing and whipping migrants.
The Texas Young Democrats believe seeking asylum is a human right and call on the Biden Administration to recognize these asylum seekers’ rights in accordance with international and U.S. law. TYD supports proactive, comprehensive immigration reform and accountability for not just the Customs and Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security, but our unified government led by Democrats. The Biden Administration must not perpetuate Trump-era immigration orders that manipulate public health protocols when there is both opportunity and demand for systemic change. These individuals and families deserve more than a condemnation of this treatment or an investigation; they deserve long-lasting policy solutions.
“Seeing the images of black Haitian asylum seekers being whipped by Border Patrol Agents on horseback was gut-wrenching. I can only think of my father and his journey to this country across the same border. I couldn’t imagine what I would’ve done if I had seen my own government treat my family in such a despicable way. It’s time for serious accountability and overhaul of the immigration system as a whole. It’s time for the Biden Administration to recognize these refugees' rights and apologize to them for their inhumane treatment. As Americans we can and must do better.” - Santiago Palomino | Texas Young Democrats Latinx Caucus Chair
“Haiti is owed a great deal of gratitude and debt by America for the simple fact of their contribution to our country during our struggle for independence. Over the years, our country in totality has forgotten about the efforts of our island neighbors, and it should not be dogged. Our Haitian Refugees need help from the Biden Administration at the Southern Border. Haitian Immigrants should not be treated any differently. We call on the Biden Administration to end the humanitarian crisis at the border by ending expulsions of Haitian immigrants under the authority of pandemic-related protocols. We as a country need to do better, must do better in regards to immigration reform. As the country of Manifest destiny, why are we stopping asylum seekers who want to have a better life?” - Kerrigan Sanders | Texas Young Democrats Black Caucus Chair