Ohio Immigrant Alliance Releases 2 Components of Forthcoming Report about Racism in Immigration Court
A new annotated bibliography, “Diaspora Dynamics,” compiles research into the experiences, contributions, and challenges faced by Black migrants and immigrants in the United States. Curated by Dr. Nana Afua Y. Brantuo, Ph.D. and Ilyas Abukar, M.A., this bibliography summarizes over eighty reports, articles, and other publications released between 1925 and 2023 that focus on Black migrants and immigrants in the United States. Topics range from demographics to socioeconomic outcomes; discrimination experiences; immigration enforcement abuses; housing, health, and language issues; activism; and more. All sources are available for free online.
Also today, Dr. Nana Afua Y. Brantuo and the Ohio Immigrant Alliance release a report summarizing insights and action items from “Dystopia, Then Deportation,” a strategy session held at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice celebration, 75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in December 2023. “Dystopia, Then Deportation” was convened by Ohio Immigrant Alliance, Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in U.S., and Cameroon Advocacy Network. It featured expert testimony from Black immigrants who have navigated through all parts of the U.S. asylum, detention, and deportation machine. A video of the event and the final report can be seen at bit.ly/DystopiaFinal.
“Diaspora Dynamics,” the annotated bibliography, helps policymakers, scholars, and members of the media access and understand information about Black migrants’ experiences. Its existence is also meant to challenge governments, researchers, philanthropy, the media, and society to emphasize, prioritize, and systematize data collection about Black migrants.
Said Dr. Nana Afua Y. Brantuo, “The particular type of violence navigated as a Black immigrant researcher in the U.S. can truly be breathtaking. From the denial of the historical presence of our community, to the questioning of our contemporary presence and ‘contributions,’ to the otherization and invisibilization across demographic surveys and statistics, there is a constant demand for us to prove our existence and humanity—without consideration of how methodological and epistemological approaches, as well as non-Black professionals and practitioners (past to present), have consistently failed us across fields and disciplines.”
The same is true for immigrants navigating a system that was not designed to protect them, but to offer the illusion of justice. Bachirou, Felix, Abdoulaye, and others participating in “Dystopia, Then Deportation” offer insights into ways the immigration system fails to protect Black people on a daily basis, along with actionable solutions.
“Dystopia, Then Deportation” and “Diaspora Dynamics” are the first pieces to be shared publicly as part of a 18-month research project helmed by Dr. Nana Afua Y. Brantuo and sponsored by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, investigating the prevalence of racism in immigration court. In the coming weeks, additional parts of this research will be shared with the public. The complete report, “Behind Closed Doors: Black Migrants and the Hidden Injustices of U.S. Immigrant Courts,” will be published in March 2024.
The annotated bibliography is available at bit.ly/3vpxKzp. The report generated from “Dystopia, Then Deportation” can be read at bit.ly/DystopiaFinal.
Download a copy of “Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home,” another recent publication from OHIA and Suma Setty at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), at bit.ly/ReadBrokenHope.
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