Haitian Asylum Seekers Sue U.S. Government for "Anti-Black Racism Within the Immigration System"

A group of 11 Haitian asylum seekers is suing the Biden administration, accusing the U.S. government of physical abuse, racial discrimination and other rights violations when they were forced to shelter under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas. The class-action lawsuit comes after images of Border Patrol agents whipping Haitian asylum seekers from horseback went viral in September, drawing outrage from rights groups. The plaintiffs in the case are also demanding the U.S. government allow the return of the thousands of Haitian asylum seekers deported from the Del Rio encampment. Guerline Jozef, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, which filed the class-action lawsuit, says the Biden administration's policies harm vulnerable people. We believe that the lawsuit will force the administration to be accountable for what we continue to see as anti-Black racism within the immigration system," she says. Immigration is a Black issue. We cannot disconnect that from the reality after what we saw under the bridge in Del Rio."