As advocates for immigrants, Becker & Lee LLP is committed to fighting for justice for all. The police killing of George Floyd is just the latest in a long history of racialized violence in the United States. We are inspired by and support the protesters in Oakland and across the country who have rallied to oppose racism and police brutality.
We condemn the official response by some leaders, who have deployed preemptive violence in ways that only escalate tensions. We are particularly troubled by news that Customs and Border Protection – an agency notorious for lawlessness and violence at our borders – has been deployed to suppress uprisings in Washington, D.C. We note with alarm how many of our clients are fleeing the legacy of U.S.-backed dirty wars in Central America and elsewhere in the Global South, only to find that the same tactics of chemical attacks, curfews, collective punishments, and maiming of journalists and protestors have come home to roost in our streets.
Racism, and specifically anti-blackness, are features of American immigration policy. It is no coincidence that our current regime of indefinite immigration detention began in response to Haitians fleeing a brutal, U.S.-backed dictatorship. To this day, Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted for arrests, detention, and deportation.
As always, Becker & Lee LLP is committed to confronting these oppressions and reiterates its support for movements for justice in the United States and across the world.
By: Camiel Becker and John Flanagan