For di rising number of African refugees and asylum seekers for di US, di upcoming presidential election fit rearrange dia whole future.
Dr Yves Kaduli, wey be 38-year-old asylum seeker from di Democratic Republic of Congo and dey live for di US, tok say, “We deserve safety. I get dream say I go defend those wey don dey persecuted.”
For 2014, Dr Kaduli run comot di eastern region of di DRC afta dem kidnap and capture am for im political views. Dem sama am death threats sotay im leave im 10-year-old pikin and im parents run. Afta five year journey from Africa, e now dey stay for Virginia wia e dey work as a medical technician, as e still dey wait for decision on im asylum case.
Dr Kaduli na one of di thousands of pipo wey dey waka from Africa against all odds to reach di US-Mexico border evri year. Di number don dey grow.
But as many Americans dey reason immigration as di top concern for dis election, and both candidates dey promise crack down for di border, African asylum seekers dey fear say di public fit turn against dem.
Dr Kaduli tok say, “we dey see our politicians dey criminalise our status, demonise our communities and as president, dem fit decide our future.”
Increase in migration – and risk for di pipo dem send back
For 2022, around 13,000 African migrants na im dem record for di US-Mexico border, according to US Customs and Border protection data. By 2023, dat number don explode reach 58,000.
Di office for di United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) dey report say sharp rise for asylum applications dey come from West African kontris like Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea since 2022 from di same border. New asylum applications from Senegalese citizens alone don jump from 773 in 2022, to 13,224 in 2024.
Even though na relatively stable kontri, World Bank say more than one third of di pipo for Senegal dey live inside poverty.
To successfully claim asylum for US dey especially hard for African migrants.
Language wahala, lack of community as dem land and lack of awareness for di kasala wey dey burst for Africa dey make di already difficult process even harder for Africans, na wetin Kathleen Bush-Joseph from di Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank funded by research grants and foundations tok.
She say, “Judges and lawyers often no sabi di mata for some of di African kontris wey dey make pipo to run”.
Risks also dey for pipo wey no make am to enta di US. For 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) release report wey claim say dozens of asylum seekers wey come from Cameroon bin dey imprisoned, tortured and raped afta dem send dem back from di US border.
HRW researcher, Lauren Seigbert tok say, “dem dey deport pipo back to harm and persecution and for situation wia dem get ongoing kasala and wide-spread human rights violations. Na just big risk to send pipo back.”
‘Great fear’
Nils Kinuani, wey be federal policy manager for African Communities Together (ACT), organisation wey dey support African asylum-seekers and refugees for di US, tok say di tori around immigration for di current election campaign don cause “great fear” for im community.
Kinuani tok say “pipo dey fear, worry dey say refugee programmes fit dey under attack.”
Im joinbodi and odas dey call for more legal ways to help African migrants wey dey fear deportation.
One option na humanitarian parole status, wey be legal protection for foreign nationals from kontris wey dey face kasala like fight-fight for natural disasters. E fit dey issued by di US goment to allow pipo wey dey at risk to live and work for America temporarily. Dis kain programmes dey for Ukraine, Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
No official humanitarian parole programmes dey ground between di US and any African kontri.
Kinuani add say some beef dey on top di way di US treat Ukrainian refugees versus oda kontri citizens.
E say, just few weeks afta di war start for Ukraine, citizens wey run from di kasala bin dey eligible to apply for humanitarian parole.
“Ukrainian communities bin no even need to ask or ginger for humanitarian parole. For kontri like Sudan, we get to push.”
Since April 2023, di ongoing war for Sudan don pursue nine million pipo comot house.
Asylum concerns
Both di Democratic Party and di Republican Party don put controlling immigration and solving di US-Mexico border crisis high for dia campaign promises.
Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump don tok say e go carri out “di largest deportation operation in American history” and put back “Trump-era border policies” like e bin dey during im first term for office if dem elect am again. Dis na according to di official Republican National Committee 2024 Platform.
Meanwhile, di Democratic candidate and Vice-President Kamala Harris don promise to bring back one bipartisan border security bill wey bin fail for Congress earlier dis year. Di bill go “increase asylum staff” and make sure of “faster and fairer” asylum process according to di White House. But e don get criticism from human rights groups and di United Nations.
Di present President Joe Biden administration wey Kamala Harris dey inside, don already move to toughen di border, For one executive order for June, officials fit sharparly comot migrants wey dey enta di US illegally without say dem process dia asylum requests once dem meet di daily limits and di border dey “overwhelmed”.
Dis don cause sharp reduction for monthly encounters for di border, according to US border officials.
For di first time in almost 20 years, ova half of Americans want make dem cut di immigration levels to di US, instead of to leave am as e dey or increase am. Dis na according to wetin recent polling from di global analytics and advisory firm Gallup suggest.
Kathleen Bush-Joseph from di Migration Policy Institute say, “for di US, increasing awareness don dey say di asylum system dey so overwhelmed and pipo dey make claims say no oda way dey to enta di United States. Frustration wey pipo get about how di US immigration system no dey work well mean say concern dey about di amount of pipo wey dey claim asylum.”
For now, Dr Yves Kaduli mata still dey hang. E fit take am four to ten years to reach conclusion. A couple of years ago, im papa die but im current status no allow am to leave di kontri to see im family.
E say, “I feel uncomfortable wen my case still dey hang and I dey watch for television wetin politicians dey tok but I know say if I dey hia, na for a reason”. Im dey hope say, las-las e go fit carri im mama and pikin to US one day.
“I believe say America go give di same values, to work for myself, to help my family, to participate for di economy of dis kontri, so I dey between doubt and hope.”
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