a1371: Immigration trends: military era compared with current era (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: amedard@gte.net

Post #a1018 quoted the MIGRATION NEWS (Vol. 9, No. 3, March, 2002) as saying that:

     "The US Coast Guard stopped 67,140 Haitian migrants at sea between 1992 and
     1994."

If true, this would be an average of just over 22,380 for each of those 3 years
during those years Aristide was in exile.

The same article stated:

     "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..."

If true, the report that statistics are up almost 50% from last year projects a
revealing story - especially upon consideration of the immigrants' claims (and
Kurzban and others' related-) defense of political (vs. economical) refuge.

That article went on to state:

     "In 1999, some 1,039 Haitians were interdicted at sea, and 16,000 Haitians
     immigrated legally to the US."

If true, that makes 17,039 Haitian immingrants in 1999, when Aristide was back in
power.

There's not really that much difference between statistics of 1992-1994 and 1999,
particularly in view of the alleged fact that so far this year (2002) immigration has
been on the rise (up 50% as indicated by the Bahamian authorities) and immigrants are
still claiming political refuge.