BACKGROUND:
The Black Immigrant Bail Fund (BIBF) was created on July 19, 2021 to combat the racism and unusual and cruel punishments faced by Black migrants. BIBF is a National project of the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs (ABISA) that provides free assistance and relief to black immigrants in pursuit of Liberation and Justice. Black migrants are most likely to be detained and are given significantly higher bonds than other immigrants in detention. If they are not able to bond out, Black migrants, on average, will serve the longest length of time in detention, and are most likely to be put into solitary confinement. According to a study by researchers Franco, Patler, and Reiter, Black migrants are six times more likely to be sent to solitary confinement.
It is clear that there are issues in every aspect in the immigration system for all migrants - but those issues only exacerbate for Black migrants. Within the past year, the BIBF, have been working with Black migrants who are detained by paying their bonds. As of right now, BIBF has received over 173 detainee applications and over $2.6 million in bond requests.
In honor of this event, we are actively working towards our fundraising of $200,000, all of which will be used to bond out migrants in detention centers. Organizational contributions towards this goal would be highly appreciated. Donations can be made at blackimmigrantsbailfund.com or here.
We invite you to celebrate our 1 year anniversary with us! Read and share the stories of directly-impacted migrants on social media.