BLACK IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

Facts to Know For Immigration Reform

Freedom and justice are universal rights that every human being is entitled to, and immigration reform must work toward establishing respect for the human rights of the diverse population of families and hard-working individuals that contribute greatly to the U.S. economy, culture and community. Any plan for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) must include the critical concerns and unique issues faced by the more than 3 million Black immigrants in the United States. An estimated 400,000 who are undocumented. The term Black Immigrants refers to immigrants of African descent. About 1.7 million of whom are from the Caribbean while 1.2 million are from Africa, and others come from Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin American countries to comprise over 10% of the total immigrant population. Between 2000 and 2009, the African immigrant population grew by 92 percent, while the Caribbean immigrant population rose by only 19 percent. Black Immigrants have been and continue to be active contributors to the social and economic fabric of the U.S.A. African immigrants alone spend well over $50 billion as consumers in America. Black immigrants are the most educated people in the United States with the share of African immigrants with a college education, advanced and professional degrees signicantly higher (38 percent) than those of U.S.-born people. They also work in a wide-range of industries, ranging from engineering and medical professionals, small-business owners and entrepreneurs, to skilled trades and unskilled labor, hospitality and domestic workers. Two-thirds of all Caribbean immigrants live in New York and Florida, accounting for the majority of the Black foreign-born population in each of these states. New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland, and Connecticut are the states host to the largest numbers of Black immigrants from the Caribbean. And African immigrants are most heavily concentrated in New York, Texas, California, Florida, and Illinois. Racial discrimination and proling result in disproportionate rates of unemployment, incarceration, detention and deportation. African and Caribbean immigrants are detained and deported at 5 times the rate of in relation to undocumented immigrants from other countries who are in the U.S. in far greater numbers. In New York City, for example, Jamaicans, Haitians and Dominicans suer the highest deportation rates, and illustrates the racial dimension of enforcement policies. Nigeria and Brazil are also on the top-10 list of countries on the national origin deportation list. African immigrants earnings are surprisingly low, despite their high levels of formal education and English prociency. In 2007, median annual earnings for African immigrants were $27,000 about 20 percent below the median for US-born workers ($33,000). The Bureau of Labor statistics recently reported that, Black Immigrants in 2011 had the highest unemployment (12.5 percent) of any foreign-born group in the U.S. Complicated and limited visa procedures, barriers to family unication and compromised workers rights and civil rights leave Black Immigrant families subject to exploitation and victimization. Although Black Immigrants face similar issues theyre not a monolithic group. Caribbean immigrants often arrive in the U.S. as Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs), while African immigrants may arrive as refugees or asylees from countries such as Somalia and Liberia. Other African immigrants arrive through the Diversity Lottery Visa Program. Fair and Just Immigration Reform must address the issues of all black immigrant communities.

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