Last Friday, hundreds of Haitians, wearing soccer jerseys and draped in satin flags, chanted and sang protest songs in front of Miami’s principal immigration building, demanding a moratorium on deportations back to their troubled homeland and protesting against “harassment” by immigration agents.
The rally came at the end of a month-old campaign by Haitians to stop what they term a focused effort by immigration agencies to arrest and deport more Haitians, despite ongoing strife and political unrest back home. Immigration authorities have steadfastly denied allegations of profiling or targeting any particular group.
While statistics are hard to come by, stories of predawn arrests and random ID checks have flooded the Haitian community, transmitted across the airwaves of Creole radio stations and in public service announcements. ICE is reported to have denied a recent request for data on the number of Haitians deported monthly, but Jean-Robert Lafortune, president of the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition, said 28 undocumented Haitians were being held at the Krome Detention Center west of Miami. They faced deportation procedures after being rounded up at bus stops and grocery stores in recent weeks. He called for their release while their cases were being dealt with.
Protesters also appealed for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, which would mean work permits and a shield from removal for Haitians who illegally entered the United States. The status is awarded to countries struggling with natural disasters and political violence. The demonstrators insisted that Haiti’s bloody revolt and catastrophic storm damage would put them in that category. Others demanded that Haitians be allowed the same kind of leniency as Cubans, who are eligible for a green card once they set foot on U.S. soil.
ICE figures show Haitian deportations were down to 753 in 2004, compared with 1,019 in 2003, suggesting that some deportation cases were deferred during the worst of the turmoil.
But community leaders share the view that the recent surge in reported arrests would indicate a harsher phase in immigration enforcement.
