I am deluged with news about Haitian refugees, so the best I can do today is list a bunch of stories that you should see. These have been piling up in my in-box, thanks to readers for sending them.
Haitians begin arriving in Tampa:
A planeload of Haitians has just landed at Tampa International Airport.
The C-130 military aircraft landed about 9:15 p.m. It is carrying 34 people, half of them injured and needing medical attention.
Fifteen of the injured are Haitians; two are members of the U.S. military. Most of the remaining passengers are family members.
Airport, medical and relief agency officials have been on alert for days for the possibility Hatians needing help would begin arriving in the Bay area. Most of the injured have gone to South Florida, but those medical facilities are beginning to reach capacity.
I guess the big question the folks in Tampa are asking is, will they go back to Haiti after their medical treatment.
A couple of readers sent me this Washington Post story about how Haitian refugees will be coming to the US at some point. I don’t know what it says because the darned article has frozen my computer 3 times when I tried to read it! I think its their pop-up ad. Maybe you will have better luck. I’ve been given these few lines from the story:
Among Haitians and their U.S. relatives, Limon [that would be Lavinia, whoop de do, Limon of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants] predicted, pressure on U.S. immigration policy will escalate in the coming weeks and months. “You need a boat, a captain, money. Nobody has that,” she said. “But in two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, they will.”
A Pennsylvania town offers an empty school to house refugees from Haiti thinking it will bring an economic boom to their county. Good luck with that idea.
Aid agencies blasted. This is a story that was all over the place a few days ago. The link I’ve given you is just one of many on the topic.
A leading British medical journal [Lancet] says many international aid groups in Haiti are more concerned with self-promotion than helping earthquake survivors.
Here is a blog post from before the earthquake that says aid workers sexually abuse Haitians.
Gallup reports results similar to Rasmussen. Most Americans don’t want more Haitian refugees.
PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 26 (UPI) — Most Americans oppose allowing more Haitian refugees into the United States in the wake of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, a Gallup poll indicates.
In a survey released Tuesday, Gallup said the immigration issue produces a sharp political divide, with 57 percent of Democrats in favor of allowing more immigrants, while 57 percent of independents and 67 percent of Republicans are opposed.
More later.