Democrats and the N.A.A.C.P. Express Outrage Over Treatment of Haitian Migrants

2 years ago 258

U.S.|Key Biden allies explicit outrage implicit Border Patrol’s attraction of Haitian migrants.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/us/biden-haiti-democrats-naacp.html

Democrats and civilian rights leaders expressed outrage connected Tuesday toward the Biden administration’s attraction of Haitian migrants successful effect to images and video of U.S. Border Patrol agents connected horseback chasing down and blocking migrants.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the bulk leader, speaking from the Senate floor, said that the images were “completely unacceptable.”

He said that the medication could not “continue these hateful and xenophobic Trump policies that disregard our exile laws,” adding that asylum seekers indispensable beryllium afforded owed process.

Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the president of the House Homeland Security Committee, echoed those comments, calling the images “horrific and disturbing.”

And successful a statement, Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., besides compared the practices of the Border Patrol agents to the inhumane migration policies of the Trump administration.

“The humanitarian situation happening nether this medication connected the confederate borderline disgustingly mirrors immoderate of the darkest moments successful America’s history,” Mr. Johnson said. “If we were to adjacent our eyes and this was occurring nether the Trump administration, what would we do? The inhumane attraction of the Haitian refugees seeking assistance is utterly sickening.”

The Homeland Security Department, which includes the Border Patrol, said connected Monday it was investigating what was shown successful the footage.

The White House did not instantly respond to a petition for remark but Vice President Kamala Harris connected Tuesday described the images arsenic “horrible.” She said she planned to sermon the substance with Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary.

“What I saw depicted astir those individuals connected horseback treating quality beings the mode they were, was horrible. And I afloat enactment what is happening close now, which is simply a thorough probe into precisely what is going connected there,” she said.

The disapproval from a starring civilian rights enactment was the latest motion that the situation astatine the borderline is alarming immoderate extracurricular groups whose counsel Mr. Biden has turned to and whose enactment helium has courted since the campaign.

On Tuesday, Mr. Johnson demanded a gathering astatine the White House to sermon the exile crisis. “In the words of William Clay, ‘We person nary imperishable enemies and nary imperishable friends, lone imperishable interests,’” Mr. Johnson said. “The N.A.A.C.P. lone has imperishable interests. We look guardant to our gathering with the President.”

Mr. Biden, a lifelong subordinate of the organization, has met with Mr. Johnson aggregate times since his election. Their past gathering was connected July 8, erstwhile they discussed strategy to walk authorities connected voting rights.

The emergence successful Haitian migration began successful the months aft Mr. Biden took bureau and arsenic the medication began reversing Trump-era migration policies. That was interpreted by galore arsenic a motion that the United States would beryllium much welcoming to migrants. In May, the medication extended impermanent protected presumption for the 150,000 Haitians already surviving successful the state and that was extended again implicit the summertime for Haitians surviving successful the U.S. earlier July 29.

But thousands started crossing the borderline into the municipality of Del Rio, Texas, past week, successful what Mr. Mayorkas connected Tuesday called an “unprecendented” summation of migrants crossing 1 portion of the confederate border.

Read Entire Article