The United States could soon be faced with a double migration crisis due to the situation in Haiti and Cuba. In response, the Biden administration warned migrants not to attempt to come to the United States illegally by boat.

Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary for Homeland Security has confirmed "[...] any migrants intercepted by the US Coast Guard off US shores will not be allowed to enter the country [...] they will be turned back or, if they express fear of returning to their home countries, repatriated to a third country," adding "The time is never right to attempt migration by sea [...] To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States."

This decision by the Biden administration is reminiscent of a shameful chapter in American history. However, this policy is not new, previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have used this approach to prevent migrants from reaching American shores. But although this has always been done under the pretext of protecting migrants, many Haitians have been returned to their countries of origin in dangerous conditions. Under the Bush and Clinton administrations, they were sent and detained indefinitely in a camp at Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) in what a federal judge called a "prison camp".

TB/ HaitiLibre