a1018: Haiti and D.R. in Migration News, March 2002 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>
From: Migrant News PLM <migrant@primal.ucdavis.edu>

MIGRATION NEWS
Vol. 9, No. 3, March, 2002

[excerpts]
______________________________
Latin America

Haiti.  Haitians continue to emigrate, with many traveling in boats to
the Bahamans and then to Florida.  In January 2002, Bahamian authorities
detained 861 Haitians, up almost 50 percent from a year earlier- the
60,000 Haitians are about 20 percent of the Bahamas' 300,000 residents...

The US Coast Guard stopped 67,140 Haitian migrants at sea between 1992
and 1994.  In 1999, some 1,039 Haitians were interdicted at sea, and
16,000 Haitians immigrated legally to the US.

The US is opposing new loans to Haiti until the Aristide government
settles a dispute with the opposition over the validity of May 2000
elections.

Dominican Republic.  The Dominican Republic received $1.75 billion in
remittances in 2001.

Some Dominicans attempt to enter the US by crossing the 60-mile wide
Mona passage in homemade boats called yolas.  In FY01, some 1,951
foreigners were apprehended on Puerto Rico's west coast- 99 percent were
Dominicans- and 143 yolas were seized.  A government spokesperson said:
"The Dominican Republic is trying to discourage people from traveling in
boats, we have basically told them that they will die trying."

The United States and Canada in 2001 deported more than 3,000 Caribbean
citizens, most to Jamaica, Guyana and the Dominican Republic.  Caribbean
leaders complain that Caribbean-born criminals sent back to their home
countries are contributing to rising crime.