Breaking: US special envoy to Haiti resigns over migrant expulsions

[Calthrina950]

My father and I were having a conversation about this whole situation the other day, and he raised a point which I think is relevant. Our country is currently accepting Afghan refugees, and we've taken in many thousands of refugees from Cuba and Vietnam in the past. But we won't take in refugees from Haiti or from other black-majority countries. In other words, our refugee policy has been influenced by racial prejudices of the same kind that has influenced much of our domestic policy.

[Calthrina950]

My father and I were having a conversation about this whole situation the other day, and he raised a point which I think is relevant. Our country is currently accepting Afghan refugees, and we've taken in many thousands of refugees from Cuba and Vietnam in the past. But we won't take in refugees from Haiti or from other black-majority countries. In other words, our refugee policy has been influenced by racial prejudices of the same kind that has influenced much of our domestic policy.

I am sorry, but this is just not accurate. According to DHS figures, over 50% of refugee arrivals in the US in 2019 were from Africa, with the largest being DR Congo, followed by Eritrea. In past years, Somalia and South Sudan were leading countries.

https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2019/table14

The US actually discriminates primarily against refugees from Middle Eastern countries, if anything.

I would beg to differ. You are correct that the Congo and Eritrea are among the leading countries from where refugees originate, but according to the Pew Research Center, 55% of refugees admitted into the United States were from Asia, not Africa. 28% of refugees came from Euorpe, which was the next largest category. And the number of refugees from Africa has dropped dramatically in recent years. And the United States has a long history of discriminating against Haitian refugees, when compared to refugees from Cuba and elsewhere.

[Calthrina950]

My father and I were having a conversation about this whole situation the other day, and he raised a point which I think is relevant. Our country is currently accepting Afghan refugees, and we've taken in many thousands of refugees from Cuba and Vietnam in the past. But we won't take in refugees from Haiti or from other black-majority countries. In other words, our refugee policy has been influenced by racial prejudices of the same kind that has influenced much of our domestic policy.

I am sorry, but this is just not accurate. According to DHS figures, over 50% of refugee arrivals in the US in 2019 were from Africa, with the largest being DR Congo, followed by Eritrea. In past years, Somalia and South Sudan were leading countries.

https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2019/table14

The US actually discriminates primarily against refugees from Middle Eastern countries, if anything.

I would beg to differ. You are correct that the Congo and Eritrea are among the leading countries from where refugees originate, but according to the Pew Research Center, 55% of refugees admitted into the United States were from Asia, not Africa. 28% of refugees came from Euorpe, which was the next largest category. And the number of refugees from Africa has dropped dramatically in recent years. And the United States has a long history of discriminating against Haitian refugees, when compared to refugees from Cuba and elsewhere.

The figures I cited were directly from DHS. Obviously, the country mix will change year over year. Your assertion is that the US has pursued an anti-black refugee policy, which cannot be true when there are multiple times in recent history when Africa was the leading source of refugees. The US' refugee policy is, however, often tied to geopolitics, such as with Indochina, Cuba (which includes black Cubans), and the Soviet Union. The US was not a major colonial power in Africa, and its geopolitical interests for the past 150 years have primarily lied in Asia and Europe, which leads to politically-motivated refugee intake from those regions.

My father and I were having a conversation about this whole situation the other day, and he raised a point which I think is relevant. Our country is currently accepting Afghan refugees, and we've taken in many thousands of refugees from Cuba and Vietnam in the past. But we won't take in refugees from Haiti or from other black-majority countries. In other words, our refugee policy has been influenced by racial prejudices of the same kind that has influenced much of our domestic policy.

I am sorry, but this is just not accurate. According to DHS figures, over 50% of refugee arrivals in the US in 2019 were from Africa, with the largest being DR Congo, followed by Eritrea. In past years, Somalia and South Sudan were leading countries.

https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2019/table14

The US actually discriminates primarily against refugees from Middle Eastern countries, if anything.

I would beg to differ. You are correct that the Congo and Eritrea are among the leading countries from where refugees originate, but according to the Pew Research Center, 55% of refugees admitted into the United States were from Asia, not Africa. 28% of refugees came from Euorpe, which was the next largest category. And the number of refugees from Africa has dropped dramatically in recent years. And the United States has a long history of discriminating against Haitian refugees, when compared to refugees from Cuba and elsewhere.

The figures I cited were directly from DHS. Obviously, the country mix will change year over year. Your assertion is that the US has pursued an anti-black refugee policy, which cannot be true when there are multiple times in recent history when Africa was the leading source of refugees. The US' refugee policy is, however, often tied to geopolitics, such as with Indochina, Cuba (which includes black Cubans), and the Soviet Union. The US was not a major colonial power in Africa, and its geopolitical interests for the past 150 years have primarily lied in Asia and Europe, which leads to politically-motivated refugee intake from those regions.

I'm aware that the United States wasn't a leading colonial power in Africa, and I'm aware of where the focus of US geopolitical interests has historically been concentrated. But this doesn't detract from the points I was making with regards to its refugee policy, particularly as it has been applied to Haiti. And that history has been one of exclusion and unequal treatment.