#3376: Motherless Haitian Girl Faces Deportation (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Rosann Clements <rosann@onemain.com>

Motherless Haitian Girl Faces Deportation
April 26, 2000
(West Palm Beach, Florida-AP) -- A six-year-old Haitian girl is alone in
America -- and that's leading advocates to decry the special treatment they
say Cubans receive.
It all happened after the girl's mother brought her to southeast Florida,
and left her with friends. The mother died after returning to Haiti.
Advocates hoping to protect little Sophonie Telcy (SOH'-phoh-nee TEHL'-see)
say they're afraid she'll be sent back to Haiti.
Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings is asking Congress to grant citizenship
to the girl, saying her situation is even more desperate than that of Elian
Gonzalez.
Cubans who reach U-S shores are usually allowed to stay -- but Haitians and
others are usually repatriated to their countries, unless they can prove a
"credible fear" of persecution.

The Associated Press.