When you think of immigration, what do you picture? Based on current events, news and media images, that picture can constitute different things for different people. Movies may depict stowaways hiding in the trunks of cars. The news will show you caged children, separated from their families and caregivers. Depending on the news channel, political rhetoric may lead you to believe that people from foreign countries are to be feared.
In the picture that you have in your mind, what color are the people that are considered to be illegal? What is their ethnicity? Black immigrants in the U.S. face a unique set of circumstances. Not only must they face the anti-blackness that all Black people suffer, they are also often forgotten about in discussions of immigration.
In 2022, the Pew Research Center found that 1 in 10 Black people in America are immigrants. That statistic amounts to about 4.6 million people, leaving those with preconceived notions of what an immigrant looks like, to reconsider.
Adding to the picture of what you think an immigrant looks like, when they land in America – however they make that happen – what does their life look like? In their aforementioned research, the Pew Research Center also found that 9% of Black Americans are second-generation Americans. This means that 9% of Black people have at least one foreign-born parent. Like most migrants, their parents’ reasoning for coming to America is to take advantage of better opportunities and raise families in safer environments.
Similar to their parents’ journey to the U.S., Black children of immigrants experience differs from immigrant families of other ethnicities. Those with strong connections to African countries must face misconceptions and stereotypes about their countries of origin. Adding to that, they must struggle with an extra set of issues related to racism.
Nnenna Ananaba, who identifies as a Nigerian American, spoke of feeling the need to explain who she is to others, “When people hear or see my name, I just go ahead and explain that I’m Nigerian.”
Something as simple as a name can be the source of teasing and bullying for children with parents from African countries but the name can be just the beginning of it all. Other characteristics like clothes, hair and facial features can add to a bully’s repertoire of insults, staying with those children forever.
Eniola Ibisanmi, who also identifies as a Nigerian American, started with a rare occurrence of treatment in relation to her being of Nigerian descent.
“When I was at an all White school, I was just Black. They didn’t know the difference. I was just Black. I also wasn’t treated bad because we were children, so I didn’t know racism and they didn’t know racism yet. I was just a kid,” said the 26-year-old.
Racism, xenophobia and biases weren’t pressed upon those children just yet but when moving from a predominately White school district to an all Black school, her experience there was almost the opposite.
“When I went to the all Black school was when they really held on to the, ‘you’re Nigerian, like your hair is horse hair’, stereotypes,” she stated.
While coping with bullying and misconceptions about her culture, Ibisanmi could turn to her household to feel proud about her being of Nigerian descent. Her family traveled to parties, events, weddings and gatherings nearly every weekend. She indulged in the different and many food options native to her country of origin and she had outfits made to the standard of traditional Nigerian attire.
But, this is not the same experience for all Black children of immigrants from African countries. Kobina Andoh, who identifies as a Ghanaian American, spent a lot of his childhood living in Connecticut and New Jersey. The area did not have high populations of Black people, let alone a community of people with direct connections to African countries. He did not experience his culture in the same ways that Ibisanmi did as there were not many parties or events for him to attend. It was not until he went to college in 2015, that he spent more time around people he could relate to.
Whether the children were immersed in their country of origin’s culture or not, they can still face discrimination by those who were born in or currently live in the African countries. Dealing with the negative comments and bullying at school was enough to make a person feel like they are not worthy of identifying as American. It’s a rotten cherry on top to feel as though you are not allowed to identify with your culture either. When traveling to Nigeria at the age of 10, Ibisanmi remembers having to make adjustments.
“I was definitely the American and I was treated as such. I wasn’t even treated like a Nigerian, just immediately like ‘you’re American’,” she recalled.
Not being able to speak the native language, Yoruba, was frowned upon as well. Although, her parents never taught her. Trying to remain close to the culture proved to be tough. Facing anti-blackness layered with bullying of her ethnicity left her wondering where she stood. Even when Ibisanmi spends her time with other people from Nigeria, especially those who have recently arrived in the U.S., they question her authenticity.
“They just Americanize me so, so much. I’ll say I’m Nigerian, and they ask if I was born there and I say no and they tell me that I’m not a real Nigerian. I hear that so much,” she said.
When you picture a Black child of an immigrant, do you picture them not feeling like they had a place they belonged? What about them not seeing one of their parents for years at a time? Being detained or deported is a true fear of any immigrant family, regardless of race or ethnicity. Once someone is deported, their ability to see their family on a regular basis is next to impossible. Depending on which parent is deported or if it is a single family household, the family that remains in the U.S. is left to figure out how to make money and take care of themselves.
When it pertains to Black immigrant families, that fear is greater. In an interview with NPR, Nana Gyamfi – executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) – stated that the conversation surrounding deportation is often focused on other ethnicities and races but Black people suffer a great deal when considering racism.
“But as Black migrants, we find ourselves separated through the criminal sanction system, through child services and the social services system, separated in detention, separated by deportation,” she stated.
Institutional racism (often referred to as systemic racism) has insurmountable effects on Black immigrants. According to BAJI and Gyamfi, Black immigrants are often charged with criminal offenses to start. This happens due to them being more likely to be pulled over by the police because they are Black. These criminal charges then lead to their deportation.
Jason Cade, a J. Alton Hosch professor of law, states that immigration laws and policies were not always this strict.
“In the 1990s, congress made immigration laws a lot more difficult and a lot more stringent. They put a much greater emphasis on removals for criminal history. Even a very minor criminal history can result in deportation,” said Cade.
The Center for Migration Studies found that 76% of Black immigrants end up being deported based on criminal grounds. The number for all immigrants is significantly lower at 45%. When picturing the deportation of immigrants, so rarely is the photo of Black families.
Cade also was clear that if deported persons have children that were born in the U.S., it complicates the situation further.
“The citizen kids either have to stay with a spouse or another relative or go to foster care or they have to return to the country with that parent that’s being deported. It’s a form of de facto deportation,” stated Cade.
If the person deported is the breadwinner for the family, this puts great financial strain on said family. It can be even more difficult if the parent is a single parent, leaving the child(ren) with less options. Even if there is another parent or relative able to stay in America and provide for the child(ren), the potential of never seeing their parent again must be a stinging feeling.
Andoh only gets to spend time with his father when he can travel to Ghana, where his dad currently lives. His mother and father arrived from Ghana to the U.S. in the mid-90s but only a few short years later, his dad abruptly returned to his home country. Little to Andoh’s knowledge, his father had been deported.
“I don’t think he could visit even if he wanted to,” the 26-year-old stated.
To protect his innocence and keep him from worrying, Andoh’s mother did not reveal this information to him until recently. Without the knowledge of his dad’s deportation, he harbored feelings of resentment towards his father, not understanding it was not a situation in which his father had no control.
“For the longest, I just thought that my dad kind of just left. Like my parents just split up and he just kind of left; not knowing that he left because he can’t come back. I learned all this a few years ago, and that kind of changed my whole perception of him,” he revealed.
Growing up without a physically present father is a story that many children in America can relate to, but once realizing the true reason behind his father’s absence it created an even deeper hole in his heart.
“It’s not even that he just wants to live over there [Ghana]. He can’t come back even if he wanted to,” he said.
With Black immigrants at a higher risk for deportation, these circumstances and experiences must run rampant within Black immigrant families. Children, too young to truly comprehend all of the details, are left to deal with the damage done.
The answer to Andoh’s longing for his father could be to simply visit his father in Ghana more often, but the costs to travel to Ghana are high. Not only that, Andoh has created a life here in America. He is now an adult with a job and responsibilities, so his schedule does not always allow for such long traveling itineraries. Even with that aside, it will not make up for the time lost during his childhood.
As the picture of what an immigrant looks like begins to morph to be more inclusive, questions may still linger. The lack of media coverage and general discussion of immigrants from predominantly Black nations is minimal although the number of immigrants from African countries has increased 246% since 2000, according to the Pew Research Center.
When asked why they think this is, Ananaba, Andoh and Ibisanmi all believe that immigrants from Latin countries receive more coverage because America shares a border with Mexico. Ibisanmi added that she believes policies, media coverage and discussions around immigrants are based on fear that the southern border is dangerous.
Ananaba, 24, explained that immigrants that come from African countries have to take a flight in order to arrive in the U.S. and often times that is not considered. In addition to that, Andoh points out that in America, all Black people are grouped together which could explain why they feel invisible.
“White people like to blend all of us together as Black people. There might not be a difference between me or you [Black American] in their eyes,” Andoh said.
Making sure that stories of Black immigrants are seen and heard is not just an issue for immigration policies, it is also a matter of representation. With America being filled with so many different people, cultures and practices, more and more individuals want to see themselves represented, including those with connections to other nations.
Ibisanmi said, “I think it’s often not looked at. Especially like Nigeria, Haiti – all of those countries suffer as well but the stories aren’t told about what they go through.”
Ibisanmi can remember when her mother finally became a U.S. citizen. She and her siblings were excited to celebrate the moment with their mom but it’s a wonder what it would have done for 10-year-old Ibisanmi to see someone like her and her family represented.
Black immigrants are a fast growing part of our communities. The Pew Research Center projects that by 2060, the Black immigration population will reach 9.5 million people. In research from the Institute for Immigration Research, it was found that nearly 94% of Black immigrants are employed. According to the Pew Research Center and an analysis conducted by Boundless, an immigration visa legal service – Black immigrants obtain college degrees at the same rate as both Americans and immigrants of other ethnicities.
If you consider the research, Black immigrants prove to be well-functioning members of our society. They get married and have children. They buy cars and homes. They have jobs and pay bills. They have their own goals and aspirations. They may have their own picture of who they want to be just like everyone else. The only difference is, they have to navigate the biases and prejudices that arise from the picture that other people have of them.