US envoy to Haiti resigns denouncing "inhumane" expulsions of migrants
Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande to look for food on the Mexican side of the border, in Ciudad Acuna, September 22, 2021. © Pedro Pardo, AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Senior US official Daniel Foote threw in the towel, in a letter dated Wednesday, September 22, at a time when Washington's handling of the migration crisis was widely criticized, especially after the release of photos showing members of the police on horseback pushing Haitian migrants back to the Mexican border.
The letter, addressed to the Secretary of State and whose tone is not very diplomatic, is circulating on Haitian social networks.
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It is a scathing resignation letter that Daniel Foote sent to Antony Blinken. A bomb, even. The US special envoy to Haiti, who had only been in post since July 22, after the death of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, accuses the head of US diplomacy of having "
ignored
[his]
recommendations
": "
Our political approach in Haiti remains deeply flawed and my recommendations have been ignored and rejected, when they have not changed,
" he also denounces in his letter.
"
I will not be associated,
he writes,
with the inhuman and counterproductive decision of the United States
to expel thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti
." A country where American officials "
are confined in secure complexes because of the danger posed by armed gangs controlling daily life
," he adds. According to Daniel Foote, Haiti is unable
to absorb this “
forced
”
arrival
of thousands of migrants
who lack food, shelter and money.
More unprecedented still, the now ex-emissary condemns
the interference of the United States
in Haitian politics and, recently, his renewed support for
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry
, who currently holds the reins of the country: "
The arrogance
that makes us believing that we should pick the winner is impressive,
”he writes.
An international political intervention that has systematically produced catastrophic results in Haiti.
Biden criticized by his own Democratic camp
This could be the first time that a senior American official has made such remarks on the Haitian file, according to
Marie Normand
, of the international service of RFI. The surprise resignation is however the latest expression of
the embarrassment caused in Washington
by the images of refugees crammed under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, or loaded and roped by border guards in horse.
In a country marked by the history of slavery, these deeply disturbing images awaken very painful memories in the United States, explains our correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
. Black parliamentarians warn about the treatment of Haitian refugees and the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, calls for an end to the “
despicable
”
expulsions
carried out in the name of a policy put in place by Donald Trump. "
Such a decision goes against common sense
" and "
decency
", he protested, stressing that the difficult conditions in Haiti meant that the country could "
not receive them
".
The diplomat will have spent two months in office, without always being unanimous, reports our correspondent in Port-au-Prince,
Amélie Baron
. The objective given to Daniel Foote was ambitious to say the least: “to
facilitate peace and stability
” and the holding of “
free and fair
” elections.
" in Haiti.
In a country where the political class is fragmented, fundamentally divided and where no ballot has been held since 2016, it was an almost impossible mission.
As soon as he was appointed, critics had flocked to the spot concerning the very principle of having a special American envoy to tackle a subject of definitively national interest.
Despite these attacks denouncing the interference of the neighboring giant, Daniel Foote had started a series of meetings, with political leaders, with certain key figures in civil society.
But without ever succeeding in bringing all these actors around the same table.
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To read also:
On the front page: the special envoy Daniel Foote resigns to protest against US policy in Haiti
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United States
Haiti
Diplomacy