Mass deportations of Haitians ‘detestable and xenophobic’ – typical of Trump era

The US Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to end the mass deportations of Haitian migrants, calling this policy ” detestable and xenophobic ” attitudes typical of the administration of former President Donald Trump.

“I urge President Biden … to immediately end these removals and end this Title 42 policy on our southern border. We cannot continue with these detestable and xenophobic policies of Trump that ignore our refugee laws, ”Schumer said in the full Senate.

US Border Patrol agents are struggling to stem the massive influx of undocumented immigrants, thousands of them from Haiti, in a growing crisis for the Biden administration.

The US Customs and Border Protection has said that the “majority” of undocumented immigrants will be expelled under the government’s Title 42 policy restricting immigration due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The crisis escalated after images by AFP photographer Paul Ratje, which quickly spread on social media, showed horsemen brandishing their long reins to threaten migrants and push them into the river.

The US Department of Homeland Security has pledged to investigate allegations of abuse of Haitian migrants by border patrol horse agents in Texas.

“We have all seen these horrific images coming from our southern border, with Haitian asylum seekers simply seeking to escape tyranny … being greeted at our doors with unimaginable [indignity],” Schumer added. Some images showed migrants being beaten with whips and other forms of physical violence.

“The images turn the stomach,” said Schumer.