From America to Africa and back again: the case of Liberians in U.S. in fear of deportation

The threat of deportation of some 3,600 Liberians from this country at the end of this month is a travesty of justice.

We know the myth about Liberia being "founded by freed slaves" who voluntarily left to reclaim their land and resettle in a free homeland.  The fact is, Liberia was established by the American Colonization Society (ACS) who were all slave owning Whites, not out of care for humanity and anti-slavery sentiments. They offered free return to freed Africans because they feared the possibility of mixing races as the numbers of freed slaves increased in the country.  Many of the slaves who left did so not out of choice, but because it was offered as the only alternative to continued enslavement here.

Some 13,000 of former slaves who repatriated to Africa created a nation state with little support from this country.  Many Liberians in the U.S. today, some of whom are under threat of deportation, claim direct links to families of former slaves from the South.

For the U.S. to now end their temporary stay and deport them is a strange twist in history.  The history of Liberia, as the first U.S. colony, should mean that the President Obama should immediately grant the 3,600 Liberians automatic citizenship and stop the repeated deferment of their visas which has been going on since 1989.  They and their children, some of whom were born here, deserve the right to stay as a way to right past wrongs committed towards Africans enslaved in this country.

We need people to take action on this.  It is in some sense similar to the double standard of immigration policy towards Haitians.  It is racist and should not be tolerated.

Please call upon President Obama to immediately extend Deferred Enforced Departure by calling 202-456-1111 ex-10 or contacting the White House in writing ( 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500). Please also call your congressional Representative and Senators to urge their support of Liberians. Ask them to support legislation for permanent resident status for Liberians ( HR 194/s656). Telephone the capitol switchboard at (202-224-3121) and tell the operator to connect you to the office of the name of the member of the House or Senate to whom you wish to speak.

Click here to read the draft letter to President Obama on this issue.

BlackCommentator.com Guest Collumnist, Nunu Kidane is an activist from Eritrea, East Africa. She is currently the Network Coordinator with Priority Africa Network (PAN), a coalition of 26 (Oakland, CA) Bay Area organizations that promote Africa through education and advocacy. She has a B.A. from UC Berkeley and has worked for over fifteen years in program and policy development in Eastern and Southern Africa. She has written and spoken on topics such as HIV/AIDS, debt cancellation, migration, resource extraction and human rights in Africa and is an advocate on racial justice globally. She is a member of the Coordinating Committee of Jubilee USA Network, a Board Member of Casa Segura, and a member of The League of the Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research Action (TIGRA), Advisor for Women of Africa (WAFRICA) and a member of the Africa Committee with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Click here to contact Ms. Kidane.