Bahati Aimee: A Reflection in Support of Black Migrants & More Responsible Migrant Funding
Earlier this year, WFC Program Officer Bahati Aimee joined a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to learn firsthand about the specific challenges Black migrants face. Bahati reflects on the economic and foreign policy conditions that lead to displacement, the uphill battle of the U.S. immigration system, and the particular obstacles Black migrants — especially Black women — experience due to systemic anti-Black racism, relating to her own experience as a refugee.
Bahati's call to action for philanthropy to support Black migrants and provide more responsible migrant funding is emblematic of the initiative we must take as funders (and community members) throughout the coming years. There may be greater challenges to the key community organizing work of our partners ahead, but our commitment to fighting for racial justice is unwavering, regardless of the administration, and will continue until that justice is achieved.
Preparing food and material delivery to shelters in Tijuana, Mexico
Visiting Tijuana, Mexico border wall
This past June, through my involvement with the Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative, a pooled fund that provides grant dollars to organizations serving immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, I had the unique opportunity to visit the southern border between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. There, I witnessed firsthand the experiences of migrants from around the world seeking asylum in the United States. The trip was organized by the United African Organization (based in Chicago) and hosted by Haitian Bridge Alliance (based in San Diego) — both of which are deeply involved in providing direct services, legal aid, and advocacy for Black migrant communities. The primary goal of this visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the specific challenges Black migrants face as they navigate the U.S. immigration system at the border and within the country.
As I listened to stories of resilience, hardship, and hope, I couldn’t help but reflect on how familiar these experiences were to my own, to my family’s, and to the refugee communities I grew up in. Migrants and displaced people arriving at the southern U.S. border have endured long, dangerous journeys, each leaving behind difficult circumstances and their beloved homes in the hope of securing a safe and more stable life. Many come from diverse places, yet commune with a shared goal: to find safety, documentation, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the United States.
Left image: Haitian Bridge Alliance team Vivi and Jeff and Representative Sonya Harper; Right image: Lawrence (Executive Director, ICIRR) and Fasika (Program Director, UAO)
Displacement is neither random nor isolated; long-term push factors such as economic instability and political unrest, often shaped by U.S. foreign policy, have directly contributed to the destabilization of regions, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America. These policies have exacerbated poverty, violence, and ongoing political and economic instability, forcing millions to leave their homes in search of safety. Additionally, climate change — driven by the same global dynamics — has further displaced countless people, leaving them with no choice but to seek refuge elsewhere.
Once in the U.S., migrants face complex legal systems, language barriers, and economic insecurity, further limiting their opportunities, while fear of detainment and deportation multiplies these challenges, leaving many migrants vulnerable to exploitation and economic insecurity.
The need for immediate support for all migrants is undeniable; further, Black migrants face even greater obstacles along these journeys and at the border. Black migrants bear the heaviest burden of systemic oppression within the immigration system. Black families, women, youth, and queer people's journeys are often marked by harsher treatment, a result of deeply entrenched global racial stereotypes and systemic violence because of anti-Black racism. For instance, in 2021, Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border were subjected to inhumane treatment, including being chased by border agents on horseback, a display that shocked the world and highlighted the racialized violence they faced.¹ Moreover, policies like Title 42² have been used disproportionately against Black migrants, especially Haitians. Despite representing only 6% of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, Haitians made up 60% of expulsion flights under Title 42.³ Similarly, many African migrants from countries such as Congo, Cameroon, and Eritrea have experienced racial profiling, extended detention, and a lack of legal support while navigating the asylum system, further exacerbating the challenges they face.⁴ Urgent, targeted support for Black migrants is essential to address these unique and compounding challenges.
Centering Black people’s experiences is not only a matter of inclusivity; it’s a necessary approach to systemic change that serves all communities impacted by migration. By addressing the unique barriers faced by Black migrants, we take a critical step toward dismantling the deeply ingrained racial and inhumane structures and inequities embedded in the system.
Delegation group visits U.S.-Mexico border wall
Black women are among the most vulnerable to exploitation and violence during these dangerous journeys, as they face magnified discrimination based on both race and gender. During my time at the border, I met several Black women who were pregnant and in desperate need of critical medical care. Already in uncertain situations, they were subjected to harmful, coercive, and life-threatening treatment. These women are not unique cases; they represent hundreds of thousands of others who experience anti-Black racism and exclusion throughout global immigration systems.
Addressing these inequities is not optional — it's crucial for all of us, collectively. We must ensure the voices of Black migrants are amplified, and that material resources are directed to support them in building just and transformative immigration systems in meaningful, tangible ways. Philanthropy can and must take on an active role by examining its own practices and committing to funding strategies that specifically include and empower Black migrants. Let us hold ourselves accountable and invest in lasting change by centering those most impacted by exclusion and anti-Black racism within the immigration system.
Here are several key actions philanthropy can take to support leaders and organizations serving migrants, especially those serving Black migrants and creating lasting systemic change:
Provide unrestricted funding: Flexible, multi-year funding allows organizations to respond quickly to the shifting needs of the communities they serve. Further, flexible funding provides organizations the opportunity to quickly adapt to diverse needs of different populations – needs can include technology, language assistance, staff training, material aid distribution, personal protective equipment, e.t.c.
Increase payout rates: To prevent destabilizing gaps in the nonprofit ecosystem, increase your payout rates to avoid shifting funds from one critical issue to another, ensuring long-term community work remains supported, while urgent and emerging challenges are also addressed.
Strengthen the capacity of Chicago's long-standing community-based organizations, especially Brown and Black-led and serving grassroots organizations, on the frontlines of migrant support in underinvested neighborhoods. These organizations are already stretched thin trying to meet both the ongoing needs of local communities and rising demand in response to new arrivals.
Invest in grassroots capacity to secure government funding for resettlement, asylum, legal aid, workforce development, health services, housing assistance, and social services. Government funding is difficult to secure and manage, however, these are public dollars designated to support our communities, including refugees and asylum populations.
Embrace intersectional approaches in your funding portfolios, supporting programs that address immigration at the intersection of health, education, labor & workforce development, arts and culture, economic development, civic engagement, policy advocacy, mental health, maternal health, etc.
Invest in organizing and policy advocacy at the local, state, and national levels to create systemic, sustainable change in the immigration system.
Support initiatives that address the root causes of migration by focusing on U.S. foreign and economic policies. Organizations that work on bi-national initiatives or advocate for reform in this space need resources to address the global factors influencing migration. By partnering with such groups, philanthropy can help build organizing infrastructures that confront the complexities of globalization, migration, and immigration.
Philanthropy will continue to hold a critical role in supporting organizations doing the work on the ground and must rise to the occasion, lean into innovative giving strategies, and expand trust-based work in this rapidly shifting and increasingly challenging time.
¹ Human Rights Watch. "US: Treatment of Haitian Migrants Is Discriminatory." Human Rights Watch, 21 Sept. 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/21/us-treatment-haitian-migrants-discriminatory.
² Title 42 is a public health order that was invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing U.S. authorities to expel migrants at the border without processing asylum claims, under the pretext of preventing the spread of the virus.
³ Human Rights First. "CERD: U.S. Discrimination Against Black Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers at the Border and Beyond." Human Rights First, 7 Aug. 2023, https://humanrightsfirst.org/library/cerd-us-discrimination-against-black-migrants-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-at-the-border-and-beyond/.
⁴ Uncovering the Truth: Violence and Abuse Against Black Migrants in Immigration Detention. October 2022, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a33042eb078691c386e7bce/t/6358c4c94b39565ec808f049/1666761932698/Uncovering+the+Truth.pdf