Haitians in America are understandably upset at the subjective way in which this policy is applied. They blame racism, and while there may be a shred of truth in those charges, the culprit in this human drama is not skin color, but America's determination to try and beat the dead horse of communism, and play out a nonexistent Cold War. In 1998, President Clinton and Congress adopted legislation that made Nicaraguan and Cuban immigrants who had been in the United States before 1996 automatically eligible for permanent residency, or green cards. In the same legislation, Guatemalans, Salvadorans and immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Soviet-bloc countries were also put on the road to permanent residency. Haitians were left out of these protective laws, despite the fact that most of the Haitians who would have been covered had been brought in and resettled in the United States after being interdicted at sea, held at Guantanamo Bay, and immigration judges had determined that they had a credible fear of persecution if sent back to Haiti.
Human misery knows no ideology.
It cannot be assumed that every Cuban who lands on our shores and is allowed to stay is fleeing communism, just as it cannot be assumed that every Haitian trying to reach America is fleeing poverty. And, politically, Haiti is no picnic. While Haiti has supposedly changed for the better since the restoration of elected civilian government, many of the thugs previously in office still wield considerable power. Human rights abuses abound, committed by extremists on both the right and the left. Parliament has not met for a year, and no constitutionally structured government has been in place since 1997.