Refugees, Racism, and Reparations: A Critique of the United States' Haitian Immigration Policy

The Role and Effectiveness of the Haitian Diaspora in the Development of Haiti

“…The United States encouraged this group of Haitians to migrate to the United States and allowed them to apply for asylum (Lennox, 1993).…”

“…According to Lennox (1993), between 1972 and 1980, out of 50,000 Haitians who asked for asylum, only 25,000 were granted. While the number of Haitians seeking for asylum rose, the United States reinforced its migration policy against Haitian migration by employing three strategies: deportation, detention and interdiction at sea (Lennox,1993).…”

“…In an open letter to the public from Fort Alien, Puerto Rico, refugees pleaded for freedom, reported by Lennox (1993) "In a subsequent decision, the court ordered release of the incarcerated Haitians until the promulgation of a new detention policy or a determination of their claims for admission" (Lennox, 1993, p. 703). "When protests from the Congressional Black Caucus and others brought these practices to a halt, the INS adopted a policy of routinely sending some…”

“…In 1981, President Reagan launched a program authorizing the Coast Guard to capture Haitian refugees at sea before reaching U.S. soil and return them to Port-auPrince (Lennox, 1993, Loescher & Scanlan,1984). An increasing aid of $11.5 million was given to the Baby Doc administration as an agreement on Haitian refugees (Lennox, 1993), dedicated to implementing social programs, stopping illegal migrations and preserving human rights (Loescher & Scanlan,1984).…”

“…An increasing aid of $11.5 million was given to the Baby Doc administration as an agreement on Haitian refugees (Lennox, 1993), dedicated to implementing social programs, stopping illegal migrations and preserving human rights (Loescher & Scanlan,1984). As identified by McDonnell and Elmore (1987), such an agreement exemplifies a typical example of inducements from the U.S government to encourage the Haitian government to take action on illegal Haitian migration.…”