From: ez000281@othello.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Re: Human rights in the USA.
Keywords: USA
Date: 10 Jan 93 05:20:48 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

Julio writes:
>

>        I haven't seen any good report on the situation in Haiti. I
>        know it's bad. It's clear they are trying to get out of there.
>        There is something bad in Haiti. 

It seems Julio has discovered that the moon is earth's statelite.

>        I don't think people risks
>        their lives just to be "free" in an esoterical way, though.
>        I think they must be escaping their hopelessness. 

Hoplessness is a very vague term.  You can be hopless 'cause there's no food 
to eat, or you can be hopeless 'cause the military has threatened to kill you 
if you express your views.  The first type of hopeless is the ones that drives 
many people to come here, fleeing economic pressures, but we just can't allow 
them to come here 'cause they would weaken our fragile economy (with a 7% 
unemployment rate).  Instead, we have opted for admiting only those who are 
fleeing political persecution of the kind you find in Cuba.  It so happens to 
be that in Haiti there are some who flee 'cause their political dissidents and 
there are other who just want to enjoy iously 
they won't find comfort in Castro's Cuba, where the misery index has hit rock 
bottom and political persecution is the worst of the hemisphere (according to 
U.N standards)

>        I don't agree
>        with Bush who is being hypocritical and coy. I don't think
>        all of them are persecuted for political reasons but I believe
>        all of them have the right to a refugee status while the legitimate
>        goverment of Aristide is put back in full control of Haiti.

Sorry Julio, but our government doesn't care what third parties think on the 
matter.  We don't admit refugees simply 'cause they come from undemocratic 
countries.  We admit hem 'cause they can document that they have undergone 
political persecution.  It is not our mission to restore Aristide to Haiti, In 
fact, it would be better if we don't promote Aristides return since he was 
advocating violence against his political enemies before his ouster.   We 
should only grant Hatians WHO CAN DOCUMENT THEIR STATUS AS POLITICAL REFUGEES.  
The rest will have to stay put.  However, I tr 
taking military action to restore Hatian democracy.  In the meantime Hatians 
will simply have to prove their case as political refugees, so that we don't 
have to become a welfare state for Latin Ameica's poor.


>        Too quick to jump into conclusions. I was answering the question
>        why do they choose the USA over Cuba, my answer is "the same reason
>        they choose the USA over Mexico". 

Well if you're right, then they should stay put in Haiti, 'cause the Mexicans 
don't come here fleeing political persecution (although given the dictatorial 
tendency in Mexico they soon will), they come here to make money, or to study.

>        Now my question. What are the requisites to be granted entry
>        as an "economy refugee" ?

We don't take economic "refugees" Julio.  We only admit foreign nationals with 
a quota system in which very few are admitted annualy, although given the 
liberalization of our bureaucracy at the INS, It wouldn't surprise me that more 
and more are spilling throught the cracks.

Edelmiro