Case Citation
Haitian Bridge All. v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 2024 WL 476304 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 7, 2024)
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In September 2021, the U.S. government enclosed close to 20,000 people, the majority of them Haitian and other Black immigrants, in open-air pens under the scorching sun at the border with Mexico near the town of Del Rio, Texas. Trapped people, including small children, were cut off from sufficient food, water, and medical care, and became malnourished, dehydrated, and ill from exposure to the sun and dust. When people attempted to leave, they were assaulted by border patrol officers, who surrounded the pens with armored vehicles and militarized troops. In 2022, RFK Human Rights and the Haitian Bridge Alliance published Beyond the Bridge, a comprehensive report on U.S. government abuses of Black asylum seekers at Del Rio.
This lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act seeks answers as to why the government engaged in an extraordinary militarized response to asylum seeking families in Del Rio, the latest in a long history of violent anti-Haitian immigration policies.
Why is this a key case?
Records of militarized operations against Black asylum seekers can form the basis of grassroots campaigns for fair and equal treatment in the immigration system.
In the long term, grassroots groups can use the information and data released in lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act to build political power for the movement to end militarized violence against Black immigrants.
What is the status of this case?
Pending before the district court, with ongoing document production.
What is the status of this case?
RFK Human Rights, co-counseling with Justice Action Center, Innovation Law Lab, and Williams & Connolly LLP, represents Haitian Bridge Alliance, African Communities Together, and UndocuBlack Network in their request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and litigation in federal district court to compel the government’s compliance with FOIA.
February 7, 2024
District court order on partial summary judgement,
August 11, 2023
Plaintiff’s memorandum of law in support of motion for partial summary judgment,
September 30, 2022
District court complaint filed,
October 1, 2021
Freedom of Information Act request filed
Black Immigrant Organizations File FOIA Lawsuit Demanding Transparency on the Abuse of Haitians in Del Rio Last Year
Six Month Anniversary Del Rio report Details a Living Legacy of Anti-Haitian Discrimination in U.S. Immigration System
Case Partners
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Justice Action Center
JAC uses co-equal litigation and storytelling strategies to address unmet needs and build new frameworks to tangibly improve immigrants’ lives.
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Innovation Law Lab
Innovation Law Lab leverages the work of coders, lawyers, and activists in order to end isolation and exploitation of immigrants and refugees, build permanent pathways to immigrant inclusion, and advance justice. Since its founding, Innovation Law Lab’s work has advanced the cause of justice.
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UndocuBlack Network
Founded in January 2016 the UndocuBlack Network is a multi-generational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources, and advocates to transform the realities of our people, so we are thriving and living our fullest lives.