AHRC Among 125 ORGANIZATIONS CALLING FOR SUPPORT FROM CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS LEADERSHIP TO DEFEND BLACK IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

AHRC Staff, Feb 24, 2026

Washington, D.C. — In a unified and powerful move, African Human Rights Coalition has joined a coalition of 125 national, state, and local organizations on a call for support from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in response to the escalating federal actions targeting Black immigrant communities.

The coalition – representing Black-led organizations, civil rights advocates, immigrant justice groups, faith leaders, and community institutions – released a joint letter urging CBC to use its oversight authority and political leadership to respond to the Trump Administration’s pattern of racialized immigration enforcement in Black communities nationwide. 

The letter states that in the past year, the federal government has:

• Moved to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for majority-Black countries

• Enacted a sweeping visa ban affecting 75 countries, which are overwhelmingly African and Caribbean nations

• Launched Operation “Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening” (PARRIS), which has resulted in the detention of approximately 100 Somali refugees in Minnesota and their transfer to detention facilities in Texas
  

These actions have resulted in families being separated, long-settled refugee communities being destabilized, and legal protections retroactively questioned. Minnesota– a state that has welcomed over 100,000 refugees since 1970 – is now the epicenter of extraordinary targeting of Somali refugees who have already been vetted and granted refugee protections. Additionally, under the administration’s Visa Travel Bans, 70% of African and 85% of Caribbean nations are banned from accessing immigrant visas to enter the U.S., raising concerns about race and nationality-based exclusion. 

The organizations make clear that these policies cannot be understood in isolation. They reflect a broader pattern of racialized suspicion and enforcement directed at Black communities through the immigration system. 

The letter calls on CBC members to use their leadership and oversight authority to:

• Halt discriminatory enforcement operations targeting Black refugees

• Protect and reinstate humanitarian protections, including TPS

• Conduct oversight of detention facilities holding Black immigrants

• Expand constituent support for impacted families
  

The coalition’s letter affirms the CBC’s longstanding role as a political force in advancing civil rights and that this effort is rooted in partnership and shared commitment. As attacks on Black immigrant communities intensify, the coalition stands ready to work alongside CBC leadership to protect families, defend civil rights, and advance policies that affirm the dignity and humanity of Black communities in all their diversity.

FULL LETTER:

undocublack-network-black-org-sign-on-letter-for-congressional-black-caucus-cbc.pdf

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