Haitian American Caucus Issues Statement on Haitian Deportations in Del Rio, TX |
|
From left to right: HAC Haiti Executive Director, Samuel Darguin, Council Member Matthieu Eugene and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn at today's Stop Deportation Flights to Haiti rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Photo credit: Haitian Lawyers Association |
|
Brooklyn, NY (September 21, 2021) - The Haitian American Caucus strongly condemns the treatment of Haitian migrants in Del Rio, TX by the Administration and Department of Homeland Security. Furthermore, we are outraged at Border Patrol agents' treatment of immigrants seeking food in Mexico. The pictures and reports of agents charging immigrants with horses and whipping them with their reins as a way of preventing re-entry into the Del Rio camp were horrific.
In the strongest possible terms, we ask the Administration and DHS to take immediate action at the Southern Border. We demand that the Department of Homeland Security put an end to the inhumane treatment of migrants at the border, suspend, investigate, and hold accountable the agents and supervisors responsible, and take Executive Action which will make the asylum and refugee application process easier. Deporting the most vulnerable people to a country that the US government has designated as a Temporary Protected Status country is unconscionable.
|
|
Photo credit: Haitian Lawyers Association |
|
Administration officials and government officials have aimed to placate the public, but their actions do not align with their words. As outlined by both US and International law, migrant workers fleeing civil unrest, gang violence, natural disasters, famine, and lack of infrastructure deserve all the rights and protections they are entitled to under the law.
Our final point is that the ongoing relief efforts to address the August 14 earthquake and tropical depression are exacerbated by the fact that Haiti continues to remain unsafe and cannot accept potentially tens of thousands of Haitians; many of whom have not lived in Haiti for years. The President has the power to make decisions in these areas that are broad and far-reaching. These powers must be exercised immediately by the Administration to prevent any further deaths.
|
|
Photo credit: LaTimes, KTLA, & WSJ
|
|
Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. Credit: AP
|
|
White House 'Horrified' Agents on Horseback Threatened...
A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback uses the reins to try and stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021.
Read more
www.vice.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haitian American Caucus Issues Emergency Call to Action for Haiti Earthquake Relief |
|
People injured in the earthquake are attended outside the Ofatma Hospital because some interior walls were cracked by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) |
|
Brooklyn, NY (September 10, 2021) - The Haitian American Caucus (HAC), in partnership with Innovar Structures, Sycamore Independent Physicians, The 610 Project and others have been actively assembling a team of medical professionals and aid workers to construct, outfit, and deploy field hospitals and hygiene centers in Les Cayes and surrounding impacted communities in Haiti. On August 14, 2021, this particular area of the Caribbean island was greatly impacted by a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake followed by Tropical Depression Grace, a hurricane drenching Haiti for days after the major earthquake. HAC is asking for support in providing immediate relief and facilitating ongoing initiatives for the Diaspora domestically and in Haiti.
Thankfully, HAC’s compound in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti did not sustain serious damage from the earthquake. With teams working tirelessly on the ground in Haiti, as well as locally in New York, HAC has proven resourceful to those who need it most. HAC is on a mission to remind the world that only together can we most effectively serve the Diaspora here in New York and in Haiti! The organization’s Brooklyn headquarters, is also functioning as an ongoing Haiti Earthquake Relief and Counseling Center, as well as a drop-off site for resources and supplies, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 12pm-8pm. If you have not taken any measures to support Haiti, HAC asks to please act on it and donate today. Haiti needs you!
Preliminary releases from the Haitian government report that the rural communities in the South and West are decimated. The majority of outlying towns and communities have been isolated due to damaged infrastructure and roadways. The threat of floods, mudslides, debris flow, and other storm-related impacts are expected to continue exacerbating the death, displacement, and injury to the people in Haiti.
As of Aug 24, the following key statistics were shared by the Haitian government, and are expected to continue to rise:
-
1,941 killed
-
83k homes destroyed
-
570k people in need of immediate aid/relief
-
2.2 million people displaced or exposed
-
157k wounded and injured in the 3 most impacted departments alone
- The Haitian Government has not released the number of unknown or missing citizens
Aid work is being further impeded by the presence of Tropical Storm Grace, which landed on Monday and is expected to drop 15”+ of water on the nation. The threat of floods, mudslides, debris flow, and other storm-related impacts are expected to continue exacerbating the death, displacement, and injury to the people in Haiti.
|
|
A child crouches next to man sleeping on the porch of his home in Les Cayes, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, two days after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern part of the country. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Photo credit: Associated Press |
|
There is still extensive damage being discovered in smaller communities off the main roads & highways. In the mountains and smaller zones where most people have lost their homes, the rivers have become dirty, contaminating what once were the only clean water sources for many. The quake and the response to it has not hampered the Haitian American Caucus’ continuing work to educate and build community with the Haitian people. With the community’s support and donations, they will continue to positively impact lives today, and for many years to come. In addition to earthquake relief efforts, HAC Haiti is currently preparing to welcome back students of all ages for the coming 2021/2022 school year, and to celebrate the graduation of their high school students. |
|
In New York, HAC’s Workforce Development program, which offers job training and employment opportunities, are up and running in Brooklyn and The Bronx, with an additional center in Queens set to open soon. None of this work can continue without the help of our community.
For more information on how you can take action, donate to these efforts, and become a member of HAC, we invite you to please visit our website www.hacglobal.org.
|
|
Manhattan Beach-based Skechers donates $1 million to...
Skechers gave $1 million to organizations coming to the aid of Haiti after a deadly earthquake shook the country earlier this month. The shoe and apparel company is challenging community members to help raise even more money to aid the devastated ...
Read more
www.dailybreeze.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bobs Shoes
In the face of bewildering and enduring shortages of goods throughout the global economy, even aid organizations like food banks and clothing distributors are caught in the chaos. Many are struggling to secure what they need, amplifying scarcity in vulnerable communities.
In Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, an effort to increase household incomes is confronting a new problem stemming from the global supply chain upheaval — a shortage of shoes.
The Haitian American Caucus, a nonprofit organization, imports donated, used shoes from the United States and sells them at low cost to women who hawk them on sidewalks and in markets, earning crucial cash for their families.
|
|
The caucus is distributing almost 100,000 pairs of shoes a month, but it could manage four times as many if only more inventory arrived, said its executive director, Samuel Darguin.
“That pair of shoes represents so much more,” he said. “It represents a mother being able to send a kid to school, being able to afford health care and feed her family maybe two meals a day instead of one.”
Two years into a relentless pandemic, the world economy remains awash in logistical difficulties. Factories in Asia are struggling to satisfy demand for their products. Ports are short of shipping containers and healthy hands to unload them. Trucks are idled for lack of drivers, with warehouses overwhelmed by goods. Read the full article below.
|
|
Global Supply Shortages Reach All the Way to a Haitian...
Continuing disruption to factory production and bottlenecks in shipping are leaving nonprofit groups short of goods for vulnerable communities worldwide. The Soles4Souls warehouse in Alabama is suffering shortages of footwear as manufacturers...
Read more
www.nytimes.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haiti Earthquake Relief Grieving & Counseling Center and Donation Drop-off Site |
|
Haitian American Caucus
Training Center
495 Flatbush Avenue, 1st Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12 PM-8 PM
For Relief & Grief Counseling or to schedule a drop-off call:
info@hacus.org / (347) 930-7027x1
|
|
How to Donate Food to Haiti - NYC Food Policy Center...
On Saturday, August 14th, an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck Haiti, stronger than the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the country back in 2010. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake struck five miles outside of...
Read more
www.nycfoodpolicy.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
