“The current response to the plight of thousands of Haitian asylum-seekers – including children and families – is contrary to our American values. The Biden administration must do better.” 

Washington, D.C. (September 23, 2021) – Save the Children is deeply disappointed by the Biden administration’s response to the recent influx of Haitian asylum-seekers, particularly the decision to employ Title 42[i] to deport thousands of Haitian asylum-seekers – many of whom are families and children – despite the worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Not only are Haitian asylum-seeking families and children being rapidly expelled on daily deportation flights, but there have been multiple reports of asylum-seekers being treated inhumanely upon their arrival into the U.S.  

“The current response to the plight of thousands of Haitian asylum-seekers – including children and families – is contrary to our American values. The Biden administration must do better,” said Christy Gleason, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns for Save the Children. “To forcibly return asylum-seeking families and children without due process to Haiti, a nation that continues to face unimaginable challenges from political contention to national disasters to a crumbling healthcare system to food insecurity, is unconscionable. We call upon the Biden administration to end deportation flights immediately, and provide Haitian asylum-seeking children and families with their internationally guaranteed right to seek asylum. Seeking safety is not a crime, and must not be treated as such. Children and families must be protected at all costs.”