[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 9 (Monday, March 8, 1993)]
[Pages 348-349]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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).

[[Page 349]]

    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.