March for our Dignity: Supporting Haitian Asylum Seekers and Demanding Accountability for Border Patrol Aggression

“The abuse we are witnessing right now against Haitian asylum seekers in Del Rio is abhorrent. The images of Border Patrol officers on horseback chasing and whipping Black Haitians looking for safety following a devastating earthquake and political crisis in Haiti clearly demonstrates the direct linkage between our modern policing institutions and slave patrols, and is a condemnation of the U.S. continued investment in the militarization of our southern border which has enabled such violence against primarily Black and Brown migrants and families, “said Fernando Garcia, executive director of BNHR. “Seeking asylum is a legal right, and the Biden administration is violating that right by deporting Haitian asylum is a legal right, and the Biden administration is violating that right by deporting Haitian asylum seekers en masse without due process. We demand that President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas conduct an investigation into the events in Del Rio against Haitian migrants, and hold the Border Patrol and all parties accountable. Additionally, we call on Congress to ensure these horrors at our border never happen again by enacting legislation on Border Patrol accountability to stop abuses and protect the rights of all migrants, regardless of their race or country of origin.”

Join the Border Network for Human Rights, Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), Border Agricultural Workers Center, Proyecto Mujeres Fronterizas, and other allies on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT

Speakers include:
– Fernando Garcia, BNHR
– Statement from Bishop Mark J Seitz
– Alexsandra Annello, El Paso City Council Member
– Carlos Marentes, Border Agricultural Workers Center
– Rosemary Rojas, Proyecto Mujeres Fronterizas
– Former Texas State Senator Jose Rodriguez
– Pastor Michael E Grady

11:00 a.m. – Gather at Plaza de los Lagartos, 114 W Mills Ave, El Paso, TX 79901

11:15 a.m. – March toward Santa Fe Bridge

12 p.m. – Press Conference, Corner of Olivas V Aoy & S. Stanton St., El Paso TX 79901

The event will also be live-streamed to the BNHR Facebook page at @BorderNetworkForHumanRights