    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [March 2, 1993]
    [Pages 231-232]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement by the Director of Communications on the Situation in Haiti
    March 2, 1993

        Today the Supreme Court heard arguments concerning the current
    repatriation policy regarding Haitian asylum-seekers. At that time, the
    Justice Department supported the President's legal authority to carry
    out the practice of direct return. The President believes it is
    essential that he retain the ability to implement such measures when
    exceptional circumstances demand.
        The current practice of direct returns is based on the President's
    conviction that it is necessary to avert a humanitarian tragedy that
    could result from a large boat exodus. Hundreds, if not thousands, could
    lose their lives in overloaded, unseaworthy vessels if the United States
    reversed the practice of direct return precipitously.
        At the same time, the President regards the current practice of
    direct return as a policy for exceptional circumstances. It is
    continually under review and will be adjusted when conditions permit.
        In addition, the President is taking a series of initiatives to
    promote human rights and democratization in Haiti and to enhance the
    safety and well-being of those who have reason to fear persecution.
        First, the Clinton administration strongly has supported the
    negotiating process undertaken by the United Nations and the
    Organization of American States (U.N./OAS) and has urged other nations,
    both within and outside the hemisphere, to provide diplomatic and
    financial support to the U.N./OAS effort. A U.N./OAS civilian monitoring
    team now is being deployed in Haiti. We hope and expect that their
    presence will create an atmosphere conducive to respect for human rights
    and political dialog, including progress on a settlement to this crisis.
        The President will continue efforts to move the negotiating process
    forward as expeditiously as possible, leading to the restoration of
    constitutional government and the return of President Aristide.
    President Clinton will meet with President Aristide on March 16 to
    review the progress that has been achieved and the challenges that lie
    ahead.
        Second, the President is committed to enhancing the safety and well-
    being of those in Haiti who have reason to fear reprisal for their
    political activities and affiliations, and has taken a number of actions
    to improve in-country processing of Haitian refugees, the procedures by
    which Haitians may apply in Haiti for refugee status and resettlement in
    the United States.
        Shortly after January 20, the President directed that U.S. officials
    double our capacity for the interviewing of refugee applicants in Haiti
    by officials of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The
    President also directed the State Department to send a technical mission
    to Haiti to develop detailed proposals for:
        --more rapid refugee processing;
        --making it easier for Haitians outside of Port-au-Prince to apply
            for refugee status and U.S. resettlement; and
        --enhancing the safety of the repatriation process for returnees.
        Since return of the technical team, we have streamlined procedures
    and added staff in Port-au-Prince and have reduced considerably the
    processing time for refugee applications in Haiti. We have already
    developed the capacity to reduce processing time for high priority cases
    from 2 months or more to about 7 working days.
        The technical team, which also included congressional staff and
    representatives from the INS, made a series of additional
    recommendations for improvements in procedures, including the addition
    of personnel at the U.S. Refugee Processing Center in Haiti to serve as
    liaison

    [[Page 232]]

    with human rights groups and as a resource for INS adjudicators;
    procedures for identifying those who may be especially at risk; and the
    establishment of processing centers outside of Port-au-Prince to enhance
    access to the program for Haitians throughout Haiti.
        Based on these and other recommendations made by the team, the
    President has directed that U.S. officials implement further
    improvements in the process. To accomplish these goals, the President is
    authorizing expenditure of up to $5 million from the Emergency Refugee
    and Migration Assistance Fund (ERMA).
        The United States has been in the forefront of refugee protection
    around the world. We will continue to play this important role in the
    years to come.