Category: Haiti

Washington Examiner: If Haitians try to reach US illegally, they will be sent back

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Further confirming a story we have posted on previously, the Obama Administration is holding firm (so far!) when it says Haitians trying to reach the US illegally will be detained and eventually repatriated.  Hat tip:  Sue. 

I’m guessing that the Obama White House has studied the history books and knows what the Mariel Boat Lift did for Jimmy Carter—added one more nail in the coffin of his Presidency.

From AP at the Washington Examiner:

MIAMI — U.S. authorities are readying for a potential influx of Haitians seeking to escape their earthquake-wracked nation, even though the policy for migrants remains the same: with few exceptions, they will go back.

So far, fears of a mass migration have yet to materialize. However, conditions in Haiti grow more dire each day and U.S. officials don’t want to be caught off guard.

Between 250 and 400 immigration detainees are being moved from South Florida’s main detention center to clear space for any Haitians who manage to reach U.S. shores, according to the Homeland Security Department. The Navy base at Guantanamo Bay could house migrants temporarily — far from suspected terrorists also being held there — and the Catholic church is working on a plan to accept Haitian orphans.

The mass migration plan, known as “Operation Vigilant Sentry,” was put in place in 2003 because of previous experiences with Caribbean migrations, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O’Neil, spokesman for the Homeland Security Task Force Southeast that would manage any Haitian influx.

“There is no new incentive for anyone to try to enter the United States illegally by sea,” O’Neil said. “The goal is to interdict them at sea and repatriate them.”

Raymond Joseph, ambassador of Haiti in Washington, recorded a message in Creole over the weekend, warning his countrymen: “Don’t rush on boats to leave the country.”

But, it appears the Catholic Church is bent on bringing the kids.  Note that one proponent of the plan says that some of the “orphans” are “possibly without parents.” What do you mean possibly?   I recommend again, that the Catholic Church, using private donations establish a first class orphanage in Haiti and work to reunite children with their families.

U.S. policy notwithstanding, the Catholic Church in Miami is working on a proposal that would allow thousands of orphan children to come permanently to this country. A similar effort launched in 1960, known as Operation Pedro Pan, brought about 14,000 unaccompanied children from Cuba to the U.S.

Under the plan dubbed “Pierre Pan,” Haitian orphans would first be placed in group homes and then paired with foster parents, said Mary Ross Agosta, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami.

“We have children who are homeless and possibly without parents and it is the moral and humane thing to do,” Agosta said.

Officials said many details would have to be worked out and the Obama administration would have to grant orphans humanitarian parole to enter the U.S.

Update: Well, what do you know the “orphans” were granted Humanitarian Parole yesterday by Homeland Security’s Janet Napolitano, here.  Next we will have publications like this Socialist one I just told you about saying the US is stealing Haiti’s kids.

Socialist publication: US Military taking over Haiti, refugees to be imprisoned

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

While most Americans are proud of the US military for stepping into the void in Haiti, and American families watch loved ones leave home with only a couple days of notice to risk their lives in filth and chaos.    And, while all the news is filled with warm and fuzzy stories of American school children collecting pennies for the kids of Haiti, the World Socialist Web Site, a Socialist (really Marxist?) rag, is saying it is all about US imperialism and a plan to take over Haiti!   Hey WSWS, most Americans don’t want Haiti!  

The US military intervention in Haiti is criminal in both form and content. Disguised as a humanitarian rescue operation, its main aim is to build up the necessary firepower to terrorize the masses into accepting a shocking lack of treatment without protest. Even taken on its own terms, the US occupation of Haiti has not taken the opportunities available to it to treat wounded Haitians.

This operation recalls the March 1993 US intervention in Somalia, when US forces invaded that strategically-located country, supposedly to help relieve famine. US forces were soon deeply entangled in civil war and hated by the population, leading up to a shoot-out between US forces and civilians in Mogadishu. Current US operations in Haiti are preparing similar confrontations with the population.

The rescue efforts in Haiti are held hostage by a US national security establishment that is completely impervious to popular sympathy for the victims of the earthquake, and unanswerable to the masses—of Haiti or any other country, including the US itself. Instead, as the death toll mounts, there is an unspoken but unanimous agreement in the international media that it is legitimate for the US military to dictate how operations will proceed.

And, if that is not enough they go on to say we are going to imprison refugees.  Let me tell you WSWS, a large portion of the American public thinks it’s o.k. to help Haitians where they live in the initial humanitarian rescue phase, but they needn’t come here.  Believe it or not, we don’t need more cheap labor.   Another large portion of the American public also thinks we ought to be rebuilding Detroit before we rebuild Port au Prince.

US officials are also warning Haitians that, if they try to flee from Haiti to the US, they will be deported back to Haiti. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: “There may be an impulse to leave the island to come here. You will not qualify for TPS [Temporary Protected] status.” This would allow the US to deport them upon arrival.

Officials in Miami, a city with a large Haitian immigrant population, are watching for signs of a mass flght from Haiti to the US. Democratic Representative Kendrick B. Meek noted, “The entire community is emotionally attached to Haiti, and it’s been rough,” adding that Haitian-Americans form the bulk of the workforce for many major employers in the region. However, officials are preparing prisons for potential Haitian refugees.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would move 400 detainees from the Krome detention facility to an undisclosed location, to free up space in case any Haitians manage to reach US shores.

Most Americans agree that would be a prudent thing to do, even the Socialist-leaning Obama Administration knows that.

When the average American sees this attack on our generosity, the reaction is probably similar to mine—o.k. Socialists of the world just hussle yourselves to Haiti and take care of the mess and leave America alone!

Readers: It looks like Haitian refugee issues will be with us for a long time, so I’m making a new category for Haiti.   I’ll go back shortly and be sure all the posts we’ve previously written on the subject are placed in the category for your review.

It is definite! Haitians have been granted Temporary Protected Status

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

As you can see from my post earlier this a.m., I’ve been confused!  However, The Wall Street Journal has now reported that thousands of Haitians in the US illegally can stay for another 18 months —to work here and send money back to Haiti!

In making the announcement yesterday, Janet Napolitano warned that this only applies to Haitians here before Tuesday of this week.  So don’t try to get here now, you will be turned back, she said!   Good luck with that.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano extended temporary amnesty to Haitians who were illegally inside the U.S. before Tuesday’s earthquake, but warned that the Coast Guard would turn back any new refugees fleeing the devastation.

The so-called temporary protected status, or TPS, doesn’t apply to any Haitians who may try now to get into the U.S. If refugees take to the sea—the normal reaction to turmoil throughout Haiti’s recent history—officials in the U.S. and other countries will have to grapple with how to deal with a new wave of immigrants, most of whom will arrive without visas.

Ms. Napolitano warned that no new arrivals would get amnesty and the U.S. Coast Guard and other authorities would move quickly to stop new migrants. “People should not leave Haiti with the false belief that they will be entitled to TPS in the United States,” she said. She also said, “We are seeing no signs of any sort of migration of that nature at this point.”

TPS has been offered to victims of natural disasters before, particularly to refugees from El Salvador in 2001, as well as from Nicaragua, Honduras, Somalia and Sudan. But until Friday, TPS had never been granted to Haitian refugees, despite calls for relief following hurricanes and civil strife, mainly because successive White House administrations have feared it would trigger a stampede of refugees seeking haven in the U.S.

 Immigration advocacy groups are tickled pink with the decision!

“It’s a good day!” said Cheryl Little, executive director of Miami-based Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, a Haitian activist group, after Ms. Napolitano’s announcement.

Ms. Little said the tens of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. who now will be eligible to work will be able to remit money back to Haiti, which she said should “discourage some Haitians from risking their lives at sea.”

Ms. Little, where are they going to get jobs?

For information on TPS, go here.

Maybe Temporary Protected Status for Haitians has not yet been approved by the Administration

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update:  It is definite, TPS has been granted as of this past Tuesday, here.

A couple of days ago I reported that it had been approved, but I might be wrong.  This article, granted it’s a couple of days old, says that the Obama Administration only halted deportations of illegal Haitians and had not yet decided on TPS.  Note that it looks like New York Senator Gillibrand is behind this one.   From The Hill:

New York Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D), whose state contains one of the nation’s highest Haitian populations, called on the Obama administration to grant Haitian nationals in the U.S. temporary protected status (TPS) so that they are not made to return to their home country.

The Department of Homeland Security halted deportations to Haiti on Wednesday, but an official told The Hill that TPS remains “within the range of consideration.”

Has anyone seen anything official about Temporary Protected Status for Haitians?

Another suggestion for Haitian refugees—Guantanamo Bay

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is an article from mid-week, so it’s a little old, but apparently under consideration for housing Haitians is Guantanamo Bay’s Camp Justice.  I just wonder how out of the  thousands displaced, someone (who?) is going to decide who gets to come to any US facility?   Yesterday we heard that thousands are expected in Florida, here.

Haitians left homeless or without food and water by Tuesday’s major earthquake may be sent to live temporarily at Guantanamo Bay, according to two Defense Department officials.

Military planners are considering housing Haitian refugees at the Naval base in Cuba, the officials told FOX News.

“We are certainly keeping that option open,” one official said. “Of course no final determinations have been made as the military is still in its ‘assessment’ mode.”

Guantanamo Bay has a long history of housing refugees from the Caribbean, particularly Haitian refugees.

In 1991, after a military coup ignited a violent power struggle in Haiti, more than 30,000 Haitian refugees passed through Guantanamo Bay, according to GlobalSecurity.org.

If refugees from Tuesday’s earthquake are brought to Guantanamo Bay, they would likely be housed at Camp Justice, where reporters and other visitors have stayed when covering the military trials of terror suspects.

Camp Justice is about a half-hour drive, across the base and over densely forested hills, from where terror suspects are currently being held at Guantanamo Bay.

Asked at an afternoon press briefing whether Guantanamo Bay is under consideration to house Haitian refugees or detain Haitian criminals, a top military official told reporters the naval base is a possibility.