Issue 17: October 4, 2021
In this issue...
We're covering the United States' recent expulsion of thousands of Haitian migrants, the continued implementation of the "Title 42" immigration policy within the U.S., the effects of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on women, and the economic impacts of resettled refugees (particularly within the United States). Next month, November, marks the anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War, so we are also describing the refugee crisis that that conflict caused.
Monthly U.S. Policy Update
By Diya Britto
On September 20, The Department of State announced that the Biden administration had the intention to raise the annual refugee admission cap from 62,500 to 125,000. Earlier this year, President Biden received backlash after he maintained the refugee admission cap of 15,000 set by the previous administration. As a result, in May, the Biden administration raised the limit to 62,500, a number which the administration now once again hopes to increase.
This plan to raise the refugee cap even more will help the administration resettle some of the hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees who fled after the Taliban seized control of the country. It is reported that about 40,000 Afghans have already been brought to the U.S. under a variety of different statutes, but that number may increase in the coming months.
The Biden administration is facing backlash for continuing to implement Title 42, a policy which expels immigrants at the border and removes any chance for them to apply for asylum for the sake of public health. During a press briefing in the White House on September 24, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the DHS would continue to use Title 42 to its fullest extent for the time being.
The Biden administration faces an ongoing court battle about its implementation of Title 42. Read more about why Title 42 has been utilized and reactions from various viewpoints later in this issue of our publication.
Mass Expulsion Of Haitian Migrants From U.S.-Mexico Border Leaves Thousands Homeless And Endangered
By Maya Britto
On September 24, under the U.S. Title 42 policy, the United States government deported thousands of Haitian migrants who were just across the southern border.
During the prior week, more than 14,000 migrants crossed the US-Mexico border and lived in makeshift camps under the Del Rio Bridge in Texas, waiting to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Disturbing images of squalid camp conditions and border authorities riding horses and using whips surfaced, and public reporting documented authorities abusing the migrants. Though many of the migrants have been released in the U.S. for further processing, more than 2,000 Haitians have been deported to Haiti and other countries.
On September 18, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a decision to implement a six-point plan to address the arrival of Haitian migrants in Texas. The plan included a “surge” of over 400 agents and officers deployed in Del Rio to control the area. The U.S. Border Patrol, in coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard then took “irregular migrants” into custody to process and remove them. Regular expulsion and removal flights took migrants to Haiti, Mexico, Ecuador, and Northern Triangle countries.
Migrants that have been returned to Haiti are now forced to face the same struggles from which they attempted to flee. The Haiti 2020 Crime and Safety Report by the Overseas Security Advisory Council details the major threat of gang-related crime, homicides, armed robberies, political violence, and civil unrest in the country. Haiti is still reeling from the effects of a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the island-nation on August 14 and the assasination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise on July 7.
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The Biden-Harris Administration deported the Haitian migrants under the U.S. Title 42 policy. Title 42 expulsions began as a way to slow immigration and stop the spread of COVID-19. However, it pushes migrants away from borders without giving them an opportunity to seek protection. Read more about Title 42 elsewhere in this issue of our publication.
The Biden Administration continues to face criticism regarding its decisions at the border that are protected under Title 42. On September 22, Daniel Foote, who was appointed Special Envoy for Haiti following Moise’s assassination, resigned. “I will not be associated with the United States inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs in control of daily life,” Foote said, in a letter to the Secretary of State.
Since August of this year, numerous humanitarian organizations, including the Haitian Bridge Alliance and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, have been advocating for Biden to halt deportations to Haiti, while many others continue to demand an end to Title 42 expulsions.
Haitian refugees are in desperate need of help. Here’s what you can do.
1. Donate to reliable non-governmental organizations, so you know your money is going to the people that need it most.
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Hope for Haiti - A non-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of life for the Haitian people through education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economy
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Save the Children - Contribute to Save the Children’s 2021 Haiti Earthquake Crisis Relief Fund to protect children and families experiencing extreme poverty
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Project Hope - This humanitarian non-governmental organization’s emergency response team is delivering antibiotics to survivors and helping overwhelmed hospitals in Haiti
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2. Demand a halt to Title 42 expulsions. Contact your government officials through emails, telephone calls, or social media.
3. Stay informed.
Rise in Delta Variant COVID-19 Cases in U.S. Results in the Continuation of the Title 42 Policy
By Julie Chen
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 has caused a surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States, resulting in the extension of the Title 42 policy, limiting migrant flow into the United States. The Title 42 policy is a protocol which permits the United States Border Patrol and U.S. Customs to prohibit entry of those who may pose a health risk to the United States.
The Title 42 policy was part of the 1944 Public Health Services Law but has rarely been used in prior decades. The current implementation of the policy was a rendition that the Trump administration initiated earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration’s use of the policy promptly expelled many migrants at the southern border of the U.S. without allowing them the opportunity to apply for asylum.
The expulsions’ official purpose was to avoid overcrowding and minimize COVID-19 transmission inside Border Patrol facilities. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, wrote in a public health order to President Biden that the immigration facilities at the U.S.-Mexico borders are “overwhelmed.” Walensky further wrote that withdrawing Title 42 “without a clear plan in place to handle the stress this population will place on the [immigration and healthcare] system and on border communities will further exacerbate the crisis at the southwestern border.”
However, the administration’s use of Title 42 has garnered criticism from activists and human rights organizations. Some activists call into question whether expelling migrants is truly necessary to maintain public health in the United States. Ursela Ojeda, Policy Advisor of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, said to Amnesty International that safely processing migrants and refugees at the border is possible by utilizing basic public health safeguards like masks, testing, and vaccinations.
Critics also have posed moral questions about the use of the Title 42 policy. Paola Luisi, the director of the nonprofit organization Families Belong Together, perceives Title 42 as a violation of ethical treatment toward asylum seekers.
“Title 42 is, and always has been, an obscure public health law weaponized by the Trump administration to advance their cruel, xenophobic, and inhumane immigration policies. And now, it has been the official policy of the Biden administration,” said Luisi to Amnesty International. She continued, “there are ways to protect public safety without turning away vulnerable families fleeing unspeakable horror. We have the resources and know-how to safely let people claim asylum.
Olga Byrne, the Director of Immigraation at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) also added in an interview with Amnesty International that the continued use of Title 42 “violates U.S. refugee laws and international treaty obligations. In fact, the current policy allows for expulsions that disregard the protections and procedures for refugees mandated by the 1980 Refugee Act and Refugee Convention.
Nonetheless, in a public health order that defends Title 42, the CDC determines that the administration should continue expelling migrant families and adults until there are “further improvements in the public health situation.” However, Title 42 allows unaccompanied minors to enter the country, and the health order explains that allowing unaccompanied minors to enter the country has a “very low likelihood” to put “strain on the U.S. healthcare system or health care resources.”
New, Taliban-Controlled Afghan Government Poses Serious Threat to Women in Afghanistan
By Peter Favero
Since the Taliban’s sudden takeover of Afghanistan’s government in August, Afghan women have lived under harsh oppression. The Taliban has cracked down brutally on everything from education, to activism, to employment, as they suppress all forms of female power within their new authoritarian society.
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Since August 15th, the Taliban has outright banned all education for girls above pubescent age, an action which mirrors their educational policy during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Some local officials have forbidden girls’ education entirely, and in areas that oppose this policy, the Taliban has threatened teachers and imposed phony “taxes” on their salaries, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Beyond education, the Taliban has forbidden women from leaving their homes unaccompanied by a male family member, a policy which also denies women the prospects of most employment opportunities. Heather Barr, the co-director of the Women’s Rights Division at the HWR, noted in a report that the Taliban has removed all women from government positions, leaving an exclusively male cabinet. Reports have surfaced of the Taliban going door to door to find unmarried women aged 14 - 45 and marry them off to Taliban soldiers, according to sources from the Wall Street Journal.
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Draconian suppression of dissenters also underscores the horrific nature of the Taliban’s policy. The HWR outlines that the Taliban has been using punishments of lashing, stoning, and amputation to enforce the new policies. A female protestor against the Taliban’s misogyny reported to the BBC that “4-5 vehicles with about 10 Taliban fighters in each of them” arrived on the scene to break a peaceful march apart, brutalizing the women with slurs and beating them with whips and electric batons. An anonymous Afghan journalist reported to the BBC that a Taliban commander destroyed her video equipment and iPhone footage at another protest, beating her when she didn’t comply with his demands as soldiers beat other protestors with the backs of guns.
Indeed, the Taliban has effectively banned dissent entirely within Afghan borders. The Taliban demanded on September 8th that demonstrators needed permission from the Ministry of Justice to legally take any action, according to Axois, The Guardian, and BBC, but the Taliban controls the Ministry of Justice.
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At least four people have been killed in the breaking of these protests, where soldiers used live ammunition against the civilians, according to The Guardian. It is possible that more deaths occurred but have not been reported. As instability only continues, one can expect violence to continue as well.
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Overall, while the Taliban has made hollow claims of supporting womens’ rights, – “our sisters, our men have the same rights,” said one Taliban spokesperson (HRW) – their policies towards women have proven exactly the opposite. Without any power in political, social, or economic spheres, it is becoming harder and harder for women in Afghanistan to demand even the most basic human rights.
Despite Short Term Costs, Refugees Ultimately Contribute to Success, Expansion of The Economy
By Jade Xiao
The economic cost of receiving refugees has long been a concern and argument for those opposed to granting them asylum. Indeed, the United States spends about $867 million each year on refugee welfare for programs such as Medicaid ($320 million), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($134 million), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ($127 million), Public Housing Assistance ($53 million), Supplemental Security Income (224 million) and others.
However, though these statistics are frequently cited and manipulated to create an image of refugee influx being an economic burden, the true impact of refugees on the host economy is huge positive in the longer-term due to their tax contributions and entrepreneurship.
A study by professors at the University of Notre Dame shows that, within 20 years of arrival in the United States, each resettled refugee has paid an average of $21,000 more in taxes than the cost of benefits they have received. According to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the net cost to taxpayers of a refugee in the first year after their arrival is $20,000, but that number quickly decreases in subsequent years. And most importantly, after the eighth year post-arrival, on average, the amount of taxes refugees pay annually becomes between $5,000 to $8,000 greater than their yearly cost to the government. Thus, refugees eventually pay, in taxes, a number that exceeds the costs of their resettlement.
Refugees also play a critical role in the expansion of the United States economy. According to research from the New American Economy Research Fund, refugees are more likely to be involved in entrepreneurship than other U.S. residents: 13% of refugees are entrepreneurs, while only 11.5% of other immigrants and 9% of native-born Americans are entrepreneurs. As a result of creating and developing new companies, refugees produce job opportunities for all Americans, enhancing the economy overall and lowering unemployment rates.
Refugees also help to offset the imminent dangers of an aging labor force. Around the world, the percentage of people who are over 65 years old is rising at an alarming rate. The consequences of this trend could be an undersized workforce, a problem which can lead to an economic crisis. According to the same research from the New American Economy, in 2015, 77.1% of refugees who resettle in the United States are of working age, surpassing the 49.7% of Americans who fit the same descriptor. These refugees can help avert labor shortages.
Unfortunately, refugees often face descrimination in the workforce, as they are frequently highered for lower-level positions or are paid less than native-born counterparts. According to the 2016 Power of Parity report from the McKinsey Global Institute, if refugees are paid equally and given the same opportunities as others, they can add $3.2 billion to the GDP of the United States.
Refugees are valuable contributors to the United States economy. Indeed, tax dollars support refugees initially, but refugees’ overall economic contributions more than compensate for their initial costs.
Looking Back: The Refugee Crisis That Followed the Vietnam War
By Luisfe Medina
The anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War occurs next month (November). The Vietnam War sparked one of the most significant and long-standing humanitarian crises in history, and despite the infamy of the War itself, the history of this humanitarian crisis is much less known.
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Immediately following the fall of Saigon in 1975, approximately 138,000 Vietnamese people relocated to the United States. 100,000 of these people had already left before the city’s fall, but the remaining tens of thousands fled after. Over the next 20 years, An estimated 2.5 million more people evacuated Vietnam. United Nations teams resettled one million of these people in the United States. The U.S. also passed the Vietnam Humanitarian Assistance and Evaluation Act of 1975 to provide medical assistance, financial assistance, and social services to Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees.
Approximately 620,000 refugees relocated and resettled directly from Vietnam to various nations around the world under the Orderly Departure Program, a United Nations initiative which began in 1979. However, many refugees faced significant challenges as they tried to flee.
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For example, several thousand had to spend years in refugee camps before resettling. Conditions in these camps were abhorrent, as the camps had severe overpopulation issues. In extreme cases, refugee camps that were designed to hold fewer than 5,000 people took in tens of thousands of refugees. The last refugee camps for refugees of the Vietnam War closed in the early 2000s, almost thirty years after the end of the War.
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Vietnamese people who sought to evacuate did so mostly by boat, plane, or helicopter. The United States implemented Operation Frequent Wind, through which over 7,000 refugees fled Vietnam through American military aircraft. During this operation, however, one C-5 plane carrying 250 refugees and several American soldiers tragically crashed in Tan Son Nhut, killing 153 and gravely injuring many survivors.
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Most of those who tried to escape on boats intended to go to Singapore and Hong Kong. However, these trips were often bloody and unsuccessful, as Thai and Malaysian pirates frequently attacked and ransacked the refugees’ boats. The pirates often raped the women in the Vietnamese ships as well.
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Because of Southeast Asian countries’ policies, many of these refugees were not allowed into their destinations. Malaysia, at times, forced Vietnamese boats to return to the sea. Up to 50,000 Vietnamese “boat people” did not make it to a permanent destination, and perished in the ocean. Despite the dangerous reputation of these voyages, however, these boat trips took place for almost twenty years because of refugees’ desperation to escape Vietnam.
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Today, roughly 1.3 million Vietnamese refugees live in the United States, and several hundred thousand Vietnamese refugees live in other nations such as Australia, Canada, and France, according to a 2017 United Nations report. The refugee crisis that resulted from the end of the Vietnam war and the communist takeover of the Vietnamese government remains one of the worst in modern history.