12095: Haitian refugees turn eyes to Bush (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

BY Miami Herald Columnist Liz Balmazeda

Posted on Mon, May. 20, 2002

Haitian refugees turn eyes to Bush

When a Miami federal judge denied the pleas for justice from Haitian
asylum-seekers Friday, washing her hands of their fate, she pointed them
toward Washington, D.C. It's the responsibility of the politicians, not
hers, to address the consequences of immigration policy.

No amount of evidence indicating that Haitian refugees are systematically
singled out and discriminated against swayed U.S. District Judge Joan
Lenard, who let the government off the hook without so much as a hearing.

Her inaction left the refugees in a frightening scenario reminiscent of a
time when U.S. policy hardened against Haitians fleeing dangerous conditions
in their homeland. It was a decade ago. A military coup had ousted a
democratically elected president in Haiti. Blood spilled daily in shanty
towns and rural villages.

But no matter how brutal the reports from Haiti, George Bush, then the
president of the United States, refused to listen. Bush issued one of the
most strident anti-refugee messages of our time when he ordered all Haitian
boats stopped at sea and all refugees repatriated without a chance to
present claims of persecution. His executive order in May 1992 sent
thousands of Haitians back to a country in chaos.

Now, refugees and their advocates look wearily to President George W. Bush
for relief when he visits Miami today. Unfortunately, they were unable to
get on his agenda, which will be devoted largely to charging up his Cuba
policy.

So, in hopes of catching the president's attention, they've called a rally
for 6 p.m. at Coral Gables' Ingram Park. The park is near the private home
where he'll attend a fundraiser for Florida's Republican Party.

It's unlikely that their stories of blatant discrimination will rise above
the clink of crystal at the home of businessman Armando Codina. But stranger
things have happened.

It would be a remarkable thing if, in the glare of a presidential visit,
these injustices came to greater light. As Bush appeals to Cuban dreams of
freedom and justice, he should note that more than 240 Haitian boat refugees
languish in detention with little hope of getting a fair shot at asylum.

He should note that Haitians are required to present more documentation,
more witnesses, more proof than other refugees. He should note that these
detentions began shortly after the Dec. 3 arrival of a Haitian boat carrying
187 refugees.

Although the landing was a rarity -- most Haitian boats are interdicted at
sea -- it prompted a policy scramble. He should reconsider the logic of this
shift, particularly when it has contributed greatly to the overcrowding of
detention facilities and to the needless incarceration of minors.

After that, if he still finds reasons to defend this policy, he should
enunciate them and explain their constitutional worth.

More than a decade ago, his father's administration sent its top trial
lawyer, Solicitor General Kenneth Starr, to square off with refugee
advocates in a Miami federal court. His transparent arguments didn't sway
Senior U.S. District Judge Clyde Atkins, who upheld the refugees' rights to
present their asylum claims. Unfortunately, the judge's ruling didn't stick
-- it was reversed in a hasty and still-controversial decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court.

Sadly, history cannot be rewritten. Too many Haitians have returned to face
prison, hunger and death, their sentences sealed by a callous executive
order. But today's President Bush has a new chance to make a moral, humane
statement. More importantly, he has a valuable opportunity to simply listen.



_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx