The Biden Administration’s Rejection of Cuban and Haitian Asylum Seekers is Anti Black

Wednesday, July 14th 2021- The Black Alliance for Just Immigration is alarmed at the Biden administration’s pronouncement that the US will reject Cuban and Haitian asylum seekers despite both countries’ current heightened humanitarian crises.

The head of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas said “Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States.” The U.S. Coast Guard will be monitoring the US coastline to prevent asylum seekers from entering the US.

These remarks and policies are unacceptable particularly for an administration that touts to care for human rights and racial justice. All refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are entitled to the human rights of international protection, the right to seek asylum and the right not to be forced to return to their home countries arbitrarily.

Nana Gyamfi, BAJI Executive Director: “Mayorkas’ latest comments are continued evidence of President Biden’s anti-Blackness and immoral disregard for the right to asylum. Biden and Mayorkas continue to enshrine historical wet foot/dry foot racist policies, but because these particular Cubans are not white elites their feet are considered wet and unwelcome.”

President Biden’s anti-Blackness – his utter indifference to Black suffering and denial of Black people’s right to exist – is the only explanation for how the Cuban-born Mayorkas, whose family sought asylum from Cuba by air, can fix his mouth to tell Haitians and Cubans not to seek that same refuge that his family benefited from just because they are coming by sea.