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By Alfred Edmond, Jr. | Published August 8, 2010 | Full size is 500 × 320 pixels

The issue of immigration raged more than 30 years ago as BLACK ENTERPRISE tackled this controversial subject. The April 1980 cover illustration depicted challenges faced by Haitians who claimed they were fleeing political persecution and needed to gain asylum in the United States. Reported during the Cold War era, the article revealed that thousands escaping Communist or Middle Eastern regimes were granted “political refugee” status or gained a special “parole” from the US Attorney General while fewer than a hundred Haitians – called the “black boat people” – received the same consideration. At one point, the federal government charged more than 10,000 Haitians with illegal entry and deported them.

The issue of immigration raged more than 30 years ago as BLACK ENTERPRISE tackled this…