The US government is considering using an emergency measure to hold back Haitian migrants in the face of a possible surge due to the deepening crisis in that Caribbean country. Options include the naval base occupying territory usurped by Cuba at Guantánamo.
According to testimonies from two US officials and an internal planning document reviewed by NBC Newsthe measure is part of “long-term prepared” “contingency plans” to prevent migrants from entering US territory.
“The government of [Joe] Biden is considering options to respond to a possible mass exodus of migrants from Haiti, including temporarily detaining migrants in a third country or expanding the capacity of an existing facility in Haiti american prison from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,” reads the report by Julia Ainsley, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice correspondent for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
You always have the cowboy
“The US government always makes contingency plans out of caution and for a wide range of possible scenarios. These migration quotas existed long before the Biden-Harris administration,” a spokesman for the National Security Council told US media.
For its part, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security commented that the agency “continues to closely monitor the situation in Haiti and has long-established contingency plans in the event of an increase in sea migration.”
Additionally, according to the document reviewed in this way, the White House National Security Council would have consulted the Department of Homeland Security on how many Haitian migrants would be needed for the US to be “overwhelmed” and use the measure to transfer them Guantanamo.
remote support
This possible action would come amid a scenario of criticism of the Biden administration for its handling of the arrival of migrants in September 2021, resulting in more than 12,000 of them gathering under an international bridge in Texas. After this episode, the White House increased deportation flights for displaced people, a process that had been halted since August.
“For more than 30 years, Guantánamo Bay has had a Migrant Operations Center that houses migrants apprehended by the Coast Guard in the Caribbean. It’s not part of the prison for terror suspects. Plans are being considered to roughly double the capacity of the Migrant Operations Center to 400 beds,” the document, cited by the outlet, said.
The USA is counting on the fact that the multifactorial crisis in Haiti can be resolved. “We recently provided security equipment purchased by the Haiti government, including tactical and armored vehicles and supplies, that will aid the National Police in their fight against criminal actors who incite violence,” a spokesman for the National Security Council told NBCNews.
“UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. continue to coordinate with our international partners, primarily to support the people of Haiti and to address the security and humanitarian situation in the country,” the spokesman said, adding that the US Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are staffed in the Caribbean nation to respond to the cholera outbreak that is also affecting the population.
multifactorial crisis
After three years without the scourge, Haiti registered an outbreak with hundreds of suspects, dozens of confirmed cases and 36 deaths by mid-October, according to reports from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Haiti is going through a deep crisis that is affecting the country economically, politically and humanely. More than 4.7 million people, almost 40% of the population, are food insecure. According to the United Nations World Food Program, 19,000 of them suffer from “catastrophic hunger”.
In addition, the nation is rocked by a government crisis that worsened with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse more than a year ago. Now he faces a wave of protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been blamed for raising the prices of basic baskets, petrol and services and for calling for foreign troops to intervene in the country. .
Amidst this convulsive panorama, fuel is also scarce and violence in the streets has escalated with the actions of dangerous gangs that have taken control of entire areas, committing serious crimes against the human rights of citizens and responsible for hundreds of murders. . (Agency summary)