20137: (Hermantin) Miami-Herald-Bush administration should stop turning refugees away (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Tue, Mar. 09, 2004

CRISIS IN HAITI


Bush administration should stop turning refugees away

BY CHERYL LITTLE AND WENDY YOUNG


With President Jean-Bertrand Aristide gone and chaos widespread, there is no
question that the United States will have to play a significant role in
helping Haiti chart its way to a peaceful future. While it is vital that the
Bush administration help protect the human rights of Haitians, it must at
the same time stop its blatant discrimination against Haitian refugees.

Even as Haiti descended into increasing violence and chaos, President Bush
on Feb. 25 said, ''I have made it abundantly clear to the Coast Guard that
we will turn back any refugee that attempts to reach our shore.'' This is a
flagrant violation of international refugee law, as well as of the
principles on which this country was built.

Since December 2001, when a boatload of more than 180 Haitians arrived in
South Florida, the Bush administration has quietly implemented an
unprecedented set of policies designed to prevent and deter the arrival of
Haitian refugees. This has included interdiction of Haitian boats both on
the high seas and within the territorial waters of the United States.

Those who are intercepted at sea are summarily returned with no screening of
their asylum claims unless a person explicitly expresses a fear of return, a
procedure that the State Department calls ``the shout test.''

Recently, the United States summarily returned all but three of the 1,040
Haitians intercepted since Feb.1, failing to provide these Haitians with any
asylum screening whatsoever. The three were later repatriated.

Haitians who are lucky enough to make it to the United States are subject to
expedited removal procedures, an unprecedented measure that unfairly singles
out Haitian arrivals. Meanwhile, pending the review of their asylum claims,
they face prolonged and arbitrary detention because they are not eligible
for release on bond under a blanket decision issued by Attorney General John
Ashcroft in the case of a teenage Haitian asylum seeker.

Policy barrier

These policies create an almost insurmountable barrier that prevents
Haitians from obtaining asylum in the United States. True refugees are being
returned to persecution as a result; our organizations have documented that
rejected Haitian asylum seekers have been subject to further persecution
after their return to Haiti. Despite this, the administration continues to
deport Haitians from some of the most violent regions of Haiti, while urging
U.S. citizens to evacuate.

In mid-February, FIAC met with 65 Haitian women detained at the Broward
Transitional Center. The women had gone on a hunger strike in a desperate
bid to draw attention to the danger they face. Several had received news of
relatives killed or disappeared in Haiti. Following Aristide's departure,
the women called FIAC to say: ``Haiti is more unstable and dangerous than
ever. To deport us would be to kill us.''

Haitian men detained at the Krome Service Processing Center in Miami also
contacted FIAC to express similar concerns. The administration -- in a gross
exploitation of the current political environment -- has justified its
actions by labeling Haitians a national security risk. It has even gone so
far as to state that terrorists from places such as Pakistan may attempt to
enter the United States aboard Haitian boats.

If the U.S. government cannot distinguish between an arriving Haitian and an
arriving Pakistani, our national security is in serious jeopardy. Not to
mention that these policies have been applied to children as young as three
years old.

Take down the sign

It's time to take down the ''Haitians Keep Out'' sign. These policies are a
disgraceful blemish on the record of the world's greatest democracy. Fair
treatment of Haitian refugees must be restored and shelter offered to those
who have fled persecution.

This can be accomplished through opening up access to the asylum system as
well as implementing a robust resettlement program. In the meantime, the
administration should grant Haitians Temporary Protected Status, which
permits Haitians already in the United States to remain until conditions are
safe for their return. It should also suspend Haitian deportations, a step
already taken by Canada and the Dominican Republic.

Ultimately, the Bush administration should do everything it can to promote
true democracy and the rule of law in Haiti. But in the meantime, we must
uphold our responsibility to protect Haitian refugees until true stability
is achieved.

Cheryl Little is executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy
Center. Wendy Young is director of external relations of the New York-based
Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

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