On Friday, September 24, protesters in San Francisco rallied against the treatment of Haitians seeking safety at the country’s borders. At the time, more than 10,000 Haitians had gathered at a large migrant camp between Mexico and Texas – and photos of the border patrol chasing those migrants, sometimes with whips and on horseback, caused dozens of protestors to express their outrage.
The march took place one day after US Special Envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote resigned from his position in the wake of “inhumane counterproductive” treatment of the migrants at the border. Further investigation into the topic proves that such treatment of Haitians is not new. Haitians are the most deported nationality per capita and make up 44 percent of families in ICE detention facilities, according to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
Hoping to put pressure on the Biden Administration to change its policies, protestors marched from the city’s Federal Building to UN Plaza. Flags, signs and music drew attention to the crowd, who repeatedly chanted, “Black lives matter from Haiti to the Bay.”
