PRESS STATEMENT
For immediate release
April 21, 2026
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
Chicago, IL. More than fifty Garifuna leaders traveled from New York to Washington D.C. to make their voices heard. They are meeting with lawmakers to highlight the urgent need for federal action to address the inequities Black Central Americans face every day, honor their cultural contributions, and call for an end to funding ICE and CBP, whose actions continue to harm and destabilize communities.
The Garifuna community, also known as Afro-Central Americans or Garinagu, has been living in the United States for over 85 years and has grown significantly over the last ten years. It now accounts for more than 300,000 people living in New York City alone. This year marks the fourth annual convening, held as part of Garífuna Heritage Month and in commemoration of the 229th anniversary of the Garífuna people’s arrival in Central America.
“We organize Garífuna Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., to share our stories, culture, contributions, and challenges directly with members of Congress. We want to partner with lawmakers to build better opportunities for our children and families,” said Mirtha Colón, President of Casa Yurumein, a community program that brings together New Yorkers through culturally relevant initiatives and civic engagement.
In the U.S., Garifunas face a number of challenges accessing essential services such as housing and mental health. Those who have been forced to migrate are in urgent need of legal representation and fear being deported to conditions where their lives are at risk. New landowners of the ancestral homelands of the Garifuna are often wealthy foreigners who are building hospitality businesses and offering limited employment opportunities to Garifuna residents, displacing and uprooting entire communities.
“Our visit occurs in a defining moment in the U.S., when families are struggling to make ends meet, impacted by budget cuts to vital programs for vulnerable communities. Black immigrants and their families are confronting uncertainty. Many Hondurans, Haitians, and Africans are facing the termination or revocation of their TPS status; others who came to the US as parolees or seeking asylum are seeing their protections abruptly canceled. Deporting people to unsafe conditions is not only immoral, it questions our humanity and values towards those who are urgently in need of solidarity and compassion,” added Mrs. Colón.
Garífuna leaders will meet with members of Congress to urge an end to funding for immigration enforcement, greater investment in communities, and action on the root causes of forced migration from Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They are also calling on lawmakers to advance permanent protections for immigrants, join the House Garífuna Caucus, and support H.Res. 288, led by Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15).
Alianza Americas supports their leadership and calls on Congress to listen and take meaningful action to address the needs of the Garífuna community.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
