In the News: Special Envoy Daniel Foote resigns to protest US policy in Haiti
The US envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote has resigned from his post.
© Getty Images via AFP / Drew Angerer
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
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It is a
scathing resignation
letter
that Daniel Foote sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The special envoy to Haiti, who had only been in post for two months and the death of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, accuses the head of American diplomacy of having "
ignored his recommendations
".
"
I will not be associated with the inhuman and counterproductive decision of the United States to deport thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti,
" writes Daniel Foote. A country, he adds, "
where American officials are confined in secure complexes because of the danger posed by armed gangs
". According to Daniel Foote, Haiti is not in a position to absorb this “
forced
”
arrival
of thousands of migrants who “
lack food, shelter and money
”.
More unprecedented still, he condemns the interference of the United States in Haitian politics and, recently, their renewed support for the current acting Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. "
The arrogance
", writes Daniel Foot, "
which makes us believe that we should designate - again - the winner is impressive
". An "
international political intervention which has systematically produced catastrophic results
". It is in memory the first time that a senior American official has made such remarks on the Haitian file.
Daniel Foote's resignation was confirmed this morning by the State Department.
“
Ambassador Daniel Foote has resigned as Special Envoy to Haiti.
We thank him for the service he rendered to his country and to the Haitian people,
”said the State Department, quoted by the
Miami Herald
.
The Florida newspaper recalls that since "
the appointment of Daniel Foote, conditions in Haiti have only worsened, which Foote had also admitted, declaring last month to a panel of Florida International University that his condition to accept the post of special envoy was that the United States would not repeat the same mistakes in Haiti
”.
The fate of Haitian migrants mobilizes Americans
Demonstrations were held yesterday in several cities in the United States, including Florida, where a large community of the Haitian diaspora lives. "
Let them in,
" chanted the protesters according to the
Miami Herald
. The anger against the Biden administration is such that "
some citizens broke into the offices of different counties to cancel their affiliation with the Democratic Party and register as independent voters
," reports the
Washington Post
for its part
.
The daily stresses that the controversy triggered by the brutal treatment of Haitian migrants by border guards on horseback is taking a worrying turn for the White House. Because it is no longer just a question of Joe Biden's migration policy, but also of racism. "
Black migrants are disproportionately criminalized, just like African Americans because of the color of their skin,
" said an activist in the columns of the Washington Post.
“
In Miami and elsewhere, protesters held signs that read '
End Racism at the Border
' or '
Treat Everyone the Same
'.
A sign that the racial question in this context of the migratory crisis is taken very seriously by the Biden administration: “
three White House officials, all black, yesterday met members of the Black Caucus, the group of African-American elected representatives of Congress ””, Reports the daily.
Meanwhile Joe Biden's team continues to blow hot and cold
Hundreds of Haitians are sent home every day by the US administration. Which leads the
New York Times
columnist
to accuse the president of "
playing Trump
". Other Haitian migrants, on the other hand, were released in the United States with the only order to appear within 60 days before immigration authorities. But how many are there? "
A little more than 1000
", understands the
CBS
channel
which publishes this statement of the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas: "
Many of the people we meet are asking for asylum. And they have the right to have their asylum requests heard
”.
In this context already more than vague, another piece of news caused confusion yesterday. It was first revealed by the American channel NBC News: “
The Biden administration is looking for a private contractor to reopen a detention center for migrants at the American base at Guantanamo. Reception capacity: 400 people maximum
”. According to details, provided by
The Hill
daily
, the Department of Homeland Security is looking for 50 employees to work in the migrant detention center. At least five of these employees must be fluent in Haitian Creole.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, this does not mean as much that some Haitians currently stranded at the US border risk being sent to Guantanamo.
The Department says in The Hill that its "
call for tenders is simply for a contract renewal for this detention center at Guantanamo, which has been used for decades for migrants whose boats are intercepted at sea
."
The newspaper recalls that in the 1990s already, Haitians who came to the United States to seek asylum were sent to Guantánamo, in all 12,000 under former President George Bush senior.
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