[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 10, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         A BETTER WAY FOR HAITI

  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, last week at this time, I spoke about the 
crisis in Haiti and the lack of focus of America's policy. Although the 
President has finally addressed Haiti, his new policy is poorly thought 
out, hopelessly inconsistent and very short-sighted. It lacks a long-
term strategy for resolving the opposing extremist positions in Haiti, 
but worse, it contains an explosive combination of tighter sanctions 
and looser asylum procedures likely to spark a new burst of Haitian 
refugees headed for Florida. It's simple logic: A tougher embargo 
equals more economic hardship among Haiti's most desperate poor. More 
economic hardship equals more refugees. The President said he ``hopes'' 
we won't see a flood of refugees--but history suggests that hope is 
unfounded. The President's own advisers reaffirm that most people 
leaving Haiti are economic refugees--not political asylum seekers 
fleeing for their lives. A New York Times story this week emphasizes a 
``deeply held view in the administration that most of those seeking 
political asylum are economic migrants posing as victims of 
persecution'' Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti conclude that 
``The Haitian left, including President Aristide and his supporters in 
Washington and here, consistently manipulate or even fabricate human 
rights abuses as a propaganda tool.'' The President's Deputy National 
Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, said ``Only about 5 percent of those 
people who have come into the processing centers are, in fact, 
political refugees.'' When Haitian refugees have landed in third 
countries, presumably safe from political persecution, most have sought 
to return to Haiti. Of course, there is no denying the brutality of the 
thugs now in control in Haiti--we know there has been repression and 
political persecution. But tighter sanctions will not resolve this 
crisis; rather, as the President himself has said, they will, ``Cause 
more hardships for innocent Haitians.'' The President said the Haitian 
military will ``bear full responsibility for this action,'' but I am 
not sure they agree or care. My fear is that, even after tougher 
sanctions take hold, we will have further demoralized the Haitian 
people, the thugs will still be in power--and we will have done nothing 
to help Haitians rebuild their democracy. What we will have done is 
encouraged more Haitians to overload leaky boats in shark-infested 
waters. Despite the Clinton administration's claim that economic 
refugees will be more quickly processed and then repatriated, in the 
past several weeks approximately 500 Haitians arrived in Florida and 
were released into our country as a humanitarian exception--including 
13 who tested positive for HIV. These actions speak louder than the 
President's words. Florida's Democrat Governor, Lawton Chiles, 
recognizes the potential problem--he expects 5,000 to 10,000 refugees a 
month as a result of this new policy. In his words, ``This decision 
will result in additional burdens on State and local governments in 
Florida * * * Florida alone cannot shoulder the tremendous burdens that 
result from Federal immigration policy.'' Governor Chiles has filed a 
lawsuit against the Federal Government, seeking to recoup hundreds of 
millions of dollars the State has spent on illegals in Florida. Mr. 
Speaker, there is a better way for Haiti that solves the refugee 
problem, solves the Aristide problem and begins to solve the long-term 
democracy problem--we can establish a safe haven on the Ile De La 
Gonave, a small island about 15 miles off the coast of Haiti. The 
United States could expand its processing of asylum seekers on this 
Haitian island, safe from the fear of violence. President Aristide--the 
popularly elected and rightful President of Haiti--could go there and 
begin to rebuild his government in Haiti. This plan obviates the need 
for an elaborate and ineffective plan to screen refugees aboard U.S. 
ships and it would remove the powerful Miami magnet. Florida is 
anything but a closed door--thousands of refugees from all over this 
hemisphere have made their home there under orderly immigration 
processing and are productive, hard-working members of our society. But 
Florida cannot throw her doors wide open to all refugees from any 
nation who seek a better life in the United States--that kind of 
disorder stretches our resources beyond their limits. I urge the 
administration to review my plan. It can work today to meet the long-
term interests of Haiti and the United States.

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