Black immigrants have been left out of policy decisions for too long, organizers say
Article is about a month old, but relevant this week.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-immigrants-left-policy-decisions-long-organizers-say-rcna1747
About 7 percent of immigrants in the U.S. are Black. And the countrys estimated 4.6 million Black immigrants endure racism and xenophobia as they navigate life in the U.S. Black immigrants are more likely to be deported than immigrants of other races are, according to a report from the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
Immigrants pay bonds to leave detention centers and end family separations, but a report from the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services found that bond amounts for Black immigrants were routinely higher than those for non-Black immigrants from June 2018 to June 2020. So detained migrants end up staying in immigration detention for long periods of time sometimes indefinitely because they cant afford the disproportionately high bonds. Because Black communities are far more frequently targeted for arrest and prosecution than the general population is, 76 percent of Black immigrants are deported because of contact with police, according to the Black Alliance report.
Organizers and advocates say that the disparities are rooted in racism and that the particular struggles of Black immigrants have been left out of the larger conversation about immigration.
Black immigrants exist, so immigration is a Black issue, said Yoliswa Cele, UndocuBlacks national director of narrative and media. Black immigrants are constantly profiled. Things that could be a ticket then turn into misdemeanors. Black immigrants also have the highest visa denial rates. Black immigrants are more likely, when they are detained, to be put in solitary confinement. We bear the brunt of all the consequences that happen, all the xenophobia in this country.