The Bronx Fire Is A Reminder That The Black Immigrant Experience Can Be Rife With Unfair Barriers
This op-ed was originally published by Blavity.
As the tragedy of the Bronx fire unfolded in early January, killing 17 people — including eight children — we started to hear more about those who lost their lives.
I’m a former refugee from Liberia and was struck by the story of Hagi Jawara, a former refugee from neighboring Sierra Leone. To escape a war-torn country in search of freedom, you believe coming to America means you’re safe. But as Black refugees, we also have to contend with systemic racism in the United States. In Mr. Jawara’s case, my heart breaks for its deadliness.
February is Black History Month and we already know that most of the Bronx fire victims were Black immigrants. It’s important to remind ourselves that the Black refugee and immigrant experience can be rife with barriers. They impede social mobility at best. At worst, they kill people. Legislators can step up and pass policies that make these barriers less harmful.
The obstacles for Black refugees and immigrants, in particular, are clear from the numbers.
When refugees first arrive here, they receive $1,225 in assistance to cover three months of essentials. Most refugees must quickly find housing and seek employment. That’s with no language skills and often still with unaddressed trauma from their home country.
I live in New York City. We have the largest Black immigrant population of any metro area in the United States — around 1.1 million people. 25% of Black New Yorkers live in rental units with three or more maintenance deficiencies, compared to 9% of white or Asian renters. Nationwide, despite similar education levels, Black immigrants earn 9% less than other immigrants and are 11% less likely than other immigrants to own their own homes. In the labor force, Black immigrants are overrepresented in sectors like home healthcare, which often come with low pay and without benefits, despite the fact that such labor is sorely needed.
Anti-Black racism is prevalent throughout our immigration system. While only 14% of Black immigrants in the country are without authorization compared to 23% of other immigrants, they are still more likely to be targeted for deportation. And although 7% of non-citizens in the U.S. are Black, they make up 20% of those facing deportation on criminal grounds, often for minor offenses. In detention, they face physical abuse and are also six times more likely to experience solitary confinement. The harsh and illegal immigration policies at the southern border, including the recent shocking treatment of Haitian migrants, further demonstrates how government policies can be infused with anti-Black racism.
Despite these systemic barriers, Black refugee and immigrant communities continue to build power. Black immigrants have higher naturalization rates than other immigrants. There are now more than 2.3 million eligible Black immigrant voters, with numbers significant enough in some swing states, such as Florida, to impact elections. In 2018, Black immigrants earned $133 billion and paid $36 billion in taxes, including $13.2 billion in state and local taxes.
We have an opportunity to do more to invest in our Black immigrant communities. And the benefits of doing so are immense. As legislatures in this state and elsewhere decide the fate of millions of dollars of American Rescue Plan funds, which require prioritizing disadvantaged communities, there is a true opportunity to make impactful investments.
One of the main barriers facing newcomers is access to adequate English language and job training. In addition to implementing state-wide language access policies, states should increase investment in free English language courses and low-cost educational and vocational programs that incorporate English language training simultaneously. In addition, some states have commissioned workforce development studies that explore reducing occupational and licensing barriers that keep highly skilled immigrants underemployed or unemployed.
Second, legislators can examine ways to address the unique housing barriers faced by new refugees and immigrants, such as inadequate housing for large families, discrimination and lack of credit history, to name a few. At a minimum, such policies should incorporate racial equity principles and hold corporate landlords of publicly-supported housing accountable. Church World Service recently published recommendations for federal, state and local policy actions to address housing barriers for newcomers, and some states have commissioned their own studies to address the issue.
Finally, some states and localities have used American Rescue Plan funds to support free immigrant legal services, including deportation defense programs, which improve the chances of a positive outcome by a factor of ten. The over-policing of Black people means more Black immigrants end up in immigration proceedings.
Refugees like myself come to America because it promises to be a beacon of safety and hope. We must ensure that this promise is kept by doing the work needed to confront racial inequality in this nation, including addressing the systemic and intersectional challenges faced by Black refugees and immigrants.
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George Tarr is the Refugee Congress Delegate from New York and co-chair of the Refugee Congress Youth and Education Caucus. He and his family were forced to flee Liberia in 1998 during the brutal civil war.