Haitian Bridge Alliance, Inc.

Thank you for being a part of our "Welcoming The Strangers" family

We all hear about the border crisis on the news, but once the news cycle is over, there are still thousands of lives stranded in limbo along the borderlands-Asylum seekers from south and central American, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia etc... are arriving to our southern border daily with only the clothes on their backs from their long arduous journey. Even with the borders closed right now, many seeking asylum are languishing in US immigration detention facilities (jailed in a criminal corrections facility).  Haitian Bridge Alliance arranges to pick up asylum seekers who are fortunate enough to be released and helps them navigate the many challenges they face.  

We are seeking donations to meet their immediate needs upon release: fresh clothing, toiletries, a decent meal, transportation to short-term housing (or an inexpensive hotel for one or two nights when home hospitality cannot be secured). For some we also fund travel arrangements to their next destination within the U.S. so they can meet their court dates at the new location where they have been assigned.  Your donations help provide a sense of dignity after their painful experience during incarceration and the ongoing challenge of processing their cases through the U.S. asylum system. 

Since 2016, Haitian Bridge Alliance has served thousands of asylum seeker from all over the world Thorugh our Borderlands Migrants and Immigrants Initiative. The week of November 17 alone, we helped 13 asylum seekers and reunited them with their loved ones!  

Without support from donors like you these asylum seekers would end up on the streets.  Our government provides no financial consideration for asylum seekers, not even the right to work.

Contributions to this campaign are being directed to the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a 505c3 non-profit, and your donation is a tax deductible contribution to the fullest extent of the law.  The Haitian Bridge Alliance also known as THE BRIDGE works with volunteer teams in partnership with Friends of Orange County Detainees, the Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees, the OC Rapid Response Network, the LGBTQ Center OC, and Resilience OC.

haitianbridge.org

The number of Black migrants from Africa and the Caribbean detained in Mexico has been steadily increasing over the past five years and they haven’t tapped into many of the resources available to Central American and Mexican migrants for a variety of reasons, including language, anti-Blackness, and other cultural barriers. They also encounter unique hurdles when navigating the asylum process in the United States.

When it comes to the Black migrants, there is no spotlight on their ordeal, and they have never been a central focus of the immigrant justice movement.  Today, more than 200 Black migrant families are stuck in Reynosa, Mexico while waiting for asylum hearings without money for food, clothes, housing, medicine, diapers, and other basic necessities. In addition, there are over 3,000 Black migrants in Tijuana and Tapachula.  All these families are stranded, unable to enter the United States, without a home or livelihood.

Many of the migrant families say they are fleeing persecution, violence and poverty in their home countries.

All these families want, is what we all want for our own families—a better life full of possibilities.  They have been through so much even before they made the decision to leave the only home they have ever known and, in the process, have seen people die on the dangerous journey through 11 countries in Central and South America. They have been robbed at gunpoint and raped.

Security concerns, a lack of money and the uncertainty of when they will be able to seek asylum to cross the border keeps Black migrants constantly in flux, often trying to keep a low profile, which is nearly impossible in a country where you don’t speak the language and no one looks like you. Black migrant families cannot “blend in” with the broader Mexican community and as a result no where is ever really safe.

These families have sacrificed everything to seek refuge in the U.S. and the entirety of their experience goes beyond the average person’s comprehension. However, our hope is that a recognition that we all can help to uplift the challenges facing Black migrants at the southern border. More importantly, the Haitian Bridge Alliance aims to continue mobilizing Black communities and allies to advance dignity, freedom,and human rights for all Black immigrants and refugees.
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Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Haitian Bridge Alliance, Inc., and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Haitian Bridge Alliance, Inc.: Haitian Bridge Alliance, Inc. (HBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and connects migrants with legal, social and humanitarian services, with a particular focus on black migrants, the Haitians community, women& girls, LGBTQ individuals, survivors of torture, community empowerment, Social justice and other human rights causes.