12168: Re: 12166: Re: 12163: Haitian Refugees (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Guy Antoine <GuyAntoine@gajma.com>

As long as Haitians are not treated the same as other groups of human beings,
WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION OF THE DIFFERENTIATION, I don't give
a hoot as to what constitutes valid grounds for political asylum, as I am naturally
led to believe that there may be a larger issue at play here and that I should deal
with that, first.

To say that the detainees should be happy to be incarcerated in America IF, as
they say, their lives were in danger in Haiti, is quite cynically untrue.  Let's say
(for argument sake, since I don't wish to speak as an authority about cases that
I have no intimate knowledge of, though I do think it highly unfair to go on about
those wild generalizations about Haitians, as though they were some sort of
exotic animals)... let's say that indeed my life had been seriously threatened while
living in Haiti?  Does it follow then that I should be ecstatic to now live in the jails
of my rescuer?  Should I not want to live by the norms governing OTHER, more
privileged people from my surroundings?  I would be less than human if I did not.
Do Haitians have lesser aspirations than the average Joe or Jane?  Gimme a break.
Now you may have reasons not to grant me freedom, but don't tell me that I should
be happy to be in a safe jail, simply because it's safe and I am being fed.  Haitians
are not some sort of domesticated animals.  Face it, folks, we are the same as
any other people on Earth.

Finally, consider the argument that the asylum seekers' detention is justified on the
basis that they would go "marron"... (what an unfortunate choice of words on the
eve of Haiti's bicentennial!  Was this terminology selected because we are dealing
with Haitians, whose ancestors became "marron" prior to organizing themselves
in a cohesive way to repel their oppressors, or would we also call the many Polish
and Italian illegal immigrants to the U.S. "marron" just the same?)   In any case, this
would appear to be a coldy rational policy for the INS to pursue to prevent such
infiltration of "marrons" in the general population (as much as the Haitian immigrants
would not like it).  However, such coldly rational decisions by the State need to be
put forward BY THE STATE.  The rationale needs to be explained to its citizens,
who in fact are always claiming for greater control of their borders.  The State
should not cynically hide behind the feelings of an undertermined percentage of its
citizenry, expressed on Internet forums such as Corbett's or held close to one's
vest.  Policy is policy and should be on the record and abided to uniformly, not
exploited against a single group.  If the United States wants to have a policy to deal
specifically with HAITIAN refugees just as they did with Japanese immigrants
during World War II, then they need to say so EXPLICITLY, rather than beating
around the bush.

Too many times, Haitians have been made the exception.  We are NOT entitled to
all sorts of privileges, simply because we are Haitian (of course not... God, look at
the reality!)  However, we have the right to demand to be treated like everyone else
because we are nobody's domesticated or laboratory animals.