1. United States
2. Letter

On behalf of 95 Counties, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the descendants of enslaved people in the United States, I write to express our strong concern regarding the proposed plan to admit over six hundred thousand students from China. Our organization’s mission is to ensure that the needs of Descendant communities—particularly descendants of slavery—are recognized and prioritized in all public policies. Historically, successive waves of immigration have displaced native Black Americans from economic, professional, and residential opportunities, leaving our communities with structural inequities that remain unresolved more than 150 years after the Civil War. As Dr. Claud Anderson of The Harvest Institute has documented, immigration policies that prioritize the benefits of newcomers over native Black Americans exacerbate long-standing economic disparities, displace Black labor in skilled and technical fields, and contribute to the gentrification of historically Black neighborhoods. Expanding the number of Chinese students admitted to the United States without first addressing the persistent inequities faced by descendants of slavery risks repeating this pattern and undermining efforts to honor the constitutional protections intended for Black Americans under the 13th and 14th Amendments. 95 Counties urges you to reconsider this proposal and to prioritize policies that protect and promote the interests of Black Americans, ensuring they are not placed at a further disadvantage by immigration policies. We believe it is possible to develop immigration programs that respect both our nation’s diversity and the historic obligations owed to the descendants of enslaved people. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. We look forward to your consideration of policies that strengthen, rather than undermine, opportunity for the descendants of slavery in America.