17 JUN 2022

Immigration Hub’s Statement in Honor of Juneteenth

WASHINGTON, DC - Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, marked by the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they were free. While our nation celebrates Juneteenth on Sunday, Black communities, including immigrants and refugees, still face systemic challenges that disproportionately impact and harm them. 

The Immigration Hub issued the following statement honoring the significance of Juneteenth and urging for long overdue action:

“We celebrate the meaning, the value and history of Juneteenth that has sparked in all of us a reckoning and recognition of the achievements and plight of Black Americans. It’s through their relentless fight for freedom and equality that many of us today can appreciate and understand the words etched in America’s Constitution. We are grateful for the contributions by Black leaders and communities to our nation, all of which are reminders, especially on this day, that we must not rest until the promise of equality and justice is fulfilled and never forget the indelible stain and consequences of slavery and racism.

“While racism in America has always existed, the last decade has truly exposed the magnitude of its reach across the country, on social media and beyond our borders. From hate-driven mass shootings in Buffalo and Charleston to the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, there are too many grave moments in America to name where systemic racism and the pervasiveness of white supremacy continue to show us that our collective work is far from done.  

“The legacy of white supremacy has long haunted America’s institutions, including our immigration system. In our work as an organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies, we encounter a U.S. immigration system ripe with xenophobia and anti-Black systemic racism that disproportionately targets Black immigrant communities. Policies like Title 42 have, for too long, been weaponized against Haitian and Black migrants. 

“On Juneteenth and beyond this day, it is incumbent on us, our elected leaders and every person in America to work against the continued spread of hate, racism and bigotry. We are committed to centering the voices of Black leaders and urge Congress and the Biden administration to deliver on the priorities of Black advocates and communities, including ensuring humane immigration and asylum systems that allow Black and brown immigrants and refugees to seek protections without unjust barriers and fear of punitive measures.” 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.