By Nana Gyamfi | Special to California Black Media Partners
The U.S. has a long and troubling history of targeting Haitian immigrants with unfair and harsh policies. This treatment is rooted in anti-Blackness and a fear of Black liberation. Haiti, as the first free Black republic, has been perceived as a threat to a region built on enslaving and oppressing Black people. And America’s immigration policies reflect this fear — punishing Haitians for simply seeking freedom and safety.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. locked up more than 30,000 Haitian asylum seekers at Guantanamo Bay. More recently, policies like Title 42 forced them out at the U.S.-Mexico border. Haitians have consistently been singled out and criminalized while other people fleeing similar conditions have been treated with more compassion and given a real chance to build better lives.
Now, the U.S. is taking another swipe at Haitians by dismantling Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — one of the last few protections they have left. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cut off Haiti’s TPS, setting it to expire on Aug. 3, 2025. And it’s not just bureaucratic nonsense — this is a calculated move to criminalize and deport nearly 500,000 Haitian migrants. By August, they could be at risk of detention, deportation, and being torn away from their families.
This is nothing new. The U.S. has been attacking Black asylum seekers for decades, and Haitians have been a primary target. When large numbers of Haitians sought asylum in the 1970s and 1980s, it triggered a racist backlash that led to harsh policies that are still used today. Those years set the stage for harmful legislation like the 1994 Crime Bill and the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), which institutionalized the detention and deportation systems we see today.
Recently, Trump announced plans to fill Guantanamo Bay to capacity, aiming to detain at least 30,000 migrants there. Guantanamo is infamous for torturing and imprisoning people without due process. And it’s been used to detain Black migrants — especially Haitians — before. They’ve faced horrific abuse there, from solitary confinement to sexual violence during so-called “examinations” and being denied access to lawyers and family members.
It’s clear the U.S. has never been serious about honoring its asylum laws when it comes to Black migrants. And it’s not just a Trump problem. The Biden administration doubled down on Trump-era Title 42 policies, which led to mass deportations and a humanitarian crisis at Del Rio, Texas.
The latest attack on Haiti’s TPS is just another chapter in America’s long-standing attempt to criminalize and deport Black migrants. While other refugees, like Ukrainians, are given compassion and support, Haitians are told they’re not welcome.
This inequity must end. Black migrants deserve the same safety, stability and the rights as other migrants to live without the constant threat of deportation. The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) is here to keep fighting for policies that allow immigrant families to build real, dignified lives — free from fear and state-sanctioned violence.
About the Author
Nana Gyamfi is a prominent civil and human rights attorney and the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI).
