Hemispheric Exclusions: Racial Borders and ‘Anti‐Black’ Racism Against Haitian Migrants in the Americas

ABSTRACT Emigrating from a country beset with political instability, gang violence and severe food shortages, Haitian migrants have sought sanctuary across the Americas. Yet despite their desperate search for asylum, Haitians have had to deal with anti‐Black and anti‐Haitian racism. As a form of hemispheric exclusion, Haitians have encountered racial borders as they attempt to cross international boundaries. Facing challenges due to their irregular status as transient migrants, we assert that the denial of asylum across the Americas represents a systemic form of racialized exclusion. Analysing contexts of reception in Brazil, Mexico and the United States, we explore the complexities of migration for displaced Haitians. Our work also explores the growth of Haitijuana —a community on the San Diego–Tijuana border, which has grown amid exclusionary policies in the United States and Mexico. Our work argues that racial borders perpetuate anti‐Black racism against Haitian migrants. We present a complex study of race, national origin and xenophobia across the hemisphere.