Eyes on Haiti: Will U.S. Offer Support, Invite More Migration, or Ignore it All?

August 20, 2021

1998

Since Biden stepped foot into office…and even before, he made it clear that he was taking an “immigration first” approach to the U.S. However, it also seems that he wants to pick and choose between the immigrants.

He’s allowed hundreds of thousands of Mexicans and Central Americans in through the southern border. Sure, he said that it was a problem but he assigned Kamala Harris to “deal with the problem.” And, we’ve seen the urgency in which she’s been addressing it.

When Cuban protests grew as many felt as though socialism had failed them, they pleaded with the U.S. government for asylum – and were denied.

When the Afghan government fell, many were left behind to deal with the Taliban on their own.

Now, as Haiti endures an earthquake after already having other problems, we must look to see what the Biden administration will do. In the past, we have helped Haitians in one way or another – either by granting asylum or sending money to help them rebuild.

Biden essentially ignored Cuba. And, he showed that Afghanistan wasn’t a worthy ally to protect. So, it’s entirely possible that he’ll turn his back on Haiti, too.

The only immigrants that seem to get anything out of the Biden administration are the ones that are ignoring immigration laws and clawing their way through the southern border. They’re getting a sweet deal out of it, too – air or bus transportation to the interior, sanctuary status, and even stimulus money.

In Haiti, however, conditions are worsening quickly. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit this weekend killed over 1200 people. While the island’s capital, Port-au-Prince did not experience major damage, many smaller towns did. And, the country is not wealthy enough to recover quickly without the help of other countries.

Various supermarkets and small food suppliers collapsed in Les Cayes, which means that close to half a million Haitians are without access to sufficient supplies.

Even the hospitals have been damaged. Officials have identified that there are only about 30 doctors to tend to approximately one million people. It’s hardly sufficient – and the country will need assistance.

Due to how so many of the buildings were flattened in the earthquake and how there’s still so much rubble that needs to be weeded through, the full scope of the casualties and damage cannot even be fully calculated.

We must also remember that Haiti still hasn’t recovered from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. It means that there is insufficient leadership in the country. Systemic gang violence is plaguing the entire country.

While it’s easy to say that the U.S. needs to focus on one problem at a time, it is not that simple.

We must be dealing with everything that will affect the country while also protecting our allies. We have always provided humanitarian assistance to Haiti in the past – so will we do it again or will we ignore their cries as we have been doing with so many of our other “allies” these days?