haitian migrants
U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, in September 2021. (Felix Marquez/AP)

A lawsuit filed in December against President Joe Biden and top Homeland Security (DHS) officials alleges that immigration authorities pursued a “Haitian Deterrence Policy” to deprive asylum seekers of basic rights. 

Plaintiffs in the suit include the nonprofit advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance and 10 citizens of Haiti who sought asylum in September 2021. Among other requests, the plaintiffs, some of whom used aliases in the court filing, have asked to be allowed to return to the United States while seeking asylum. They also request an end to Title 42, a policy enforced since March 2020 that restricts migrants’ access to asylum based on public health grounds. 

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Sam is a reporter for The Haitian Times and a 2020 Report for America corps member. He has covered Haiti and its diaspora since 2018. His work has also appeared in USA Today, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Haiti Liberte. Sam can be reached at sam@haitiantimes.com or on Twitter @sambojarski.