—_ — ee SS he SS ee had feet Tete eed iS Oe OO lS eens fy ee eee ee SS SE ee | 6 eee © 2 Ske UF 8 UW OO PE NE sO le ER “San DSS Sw Scr, Keen ees meee | |B) | | ee ee Ss nn a ee a ee ee Sixty-one Haitian refugees wait on the leaky Eloite Andre after being towed to the Miami Coast Guard center. The refugees Carter rejects Lester said the federal government bays $8 per prisoner per day. The aver- 8e cost of meals is 62 cents each. The kade has a capacity of 132 inmates ie about three-quarters of the space aS been filled regularly with Haitian Tefugees since 1974. e.stockade has no fence; guards °n horses control the prisoners. _The INS hearings and legal proce- Ure has been challenged. Haitians hg to escape political repression ate particularly victimized by INS pro- ;edures. Until recently, Haitians could bee’ or sent back to Haiti without ing able to present a case for political 2 ylum. Many, who were never seen by hyone, have been deported as “‘volun- a y returnees.” Last June 8 alone 128 ®re “returned” to Haiti in this way. si Be cuits were initiated and now exclu- N Cases receive a hearing. ates uother violation was the acceler- wh Schedule of interviews last fall, 7€N Over 100 a day were scheduled in i Lawyers and case workers said es impossible for them to properly fee €sent their clients. Amnesty Inter- “lonal stated that Haitians were ~ Ng processed through the immigra- N service so quickly that due process 4s impossible. € central-issue has been whether Haitians are political refugees. ot Aw £0vernment contends that they are Poor people looking for jobs; it oH Not recognize the existence of tical persecution. But the stories of poverty, oppression and fear paint a clear picture of the political repression - ‘that exists there. Many of the Haitians here would like to return home as Pierre Valcourt, a Haitian leader, said “to build a completely new country, preaching love and caring for the poor and weak.” But they will fight not to go home while Jean Claude Duvalier is in the palace in Port au Prince. The Haitians in Miami and their supporters understand full well the double standard of Carter’s so-called “human rights”’ policy. Jean-Claude Bernard, a social worker, said, ‘“‘They talk about human rights: Haitians have no human rights.” : The regime of Jean Claude Duvalier is supported by the U.S. State Depart- ment. To accept the Haitians as politi- cal exiles would be tacitly condemning Duvalier’s dictatorship. To reject the Haitians, however, without due process ’ is unconstitutional. Lee Irwin, a government prosecutor said, ‘‘What is going to happen here, - quite frankly, is thatthe government of Haiti is going on trial. Florida Channel 10 TV, in an edito- rial criticized President Carter for speaking out for human rights in the Soviet Union while human beings are suffering and crying out for help in our own country. It urged voters in Bro- ward and Dade counties to demand that their U.S. Congressmen pay attention to the refugees and to the poverty and persecution that drove them here. “Regardless of their reasons for coming here,’’ the editorial said, ‘‘re- fugees from Haiti or any other country should be treated humanely. “The only real solution is to improve living conditions in Haiti and other poor nations of this hemisphere. And that is the goal that requires massive re- sponse from Washington. “Tt is necessary for the United States to get serious about improving conditions in our own neighborhood.” The Miami Times, a Black weekly newspaper, charged that Haitian re- fugees were being secretly deported. Attorney Kurzban said, ‘‘If the Hai- tians were white and coming from a communist country, there’s no question the American government would grant them asylum.”’ In a petition issued by the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami, along with other groups, signatures of support urged President Carter to establish fair hearings, freedom from jail and politi- cal asylum. While Haitians come to the U.S. seeking a better life, once they get here they find themselves victims of racism, poverty and exploitation. About 200,000 Haitians live in Florida, with the biggest concentra- tions in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties. Dade County has the largest Haitian community outside. New York City, where more than 80,000 have settled in the past 30 years. There is a large Haitian population in Miami’s northeast sections known as Sabal Palms and Little River. A recent study of the social/economic conditions of the people living in this area found that 61.2% of those surveyed have weekly earnings of $114 or less. This wage must, in many cases, support at least four people. Haitian-born children of immigrant parents in Broward or Palm Beach counties are not allowed to attend school. In Dade the school board agreed in 1977 to enroll any Haitian child with a birth certificate or proof of identity. Although more than 200 Hai- tian children are enrolled in school, more than 200 have been turned away for lack of birth certificates. A year ago immigration officials agreed to issue temporary work per- mits to Haitians, which had long been fought for by Haitiaris and their sup- porters. The Haitians rushed to sign up for the job permits when this victory was won. However this gave the authorities names and addresses, which they had not-had before, and Haitians then began receiving letters ordering them to report to immigration authorities. Undocumented Haitians are arrested. The INS reversed the temporary work permit policy, but the court is- sued a preliminary injunction to re- store the work permits for the unex- pired time until February, when all work permits will be terminated across the board. Over 1,000 Haitians will be affected by this. Since 1974 the National Council of Churches has been the main support for the Haitian refugees. The Haitian Refugee Center is re- sponsible for food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs;. the Office of Com- munity Relations‘is responsible for publicity, education (tutoring in Eng- lish), health services and job counsel- ing. In 1977 the National Council of Churches fed and housed 250 refugees on $19.50 per person per week until funds ran out, leaving them without any regular source of food. Haitians, along with their support- ers, have been struggling against these conditions. Recently a victory against racism was won after demonstrations lasting three days and nights at the Sabal Palms of Winn Dixie stores against racial slurs and insults about work habits made against Haitians by the manager and security guard. This was one of many incidents, including a number of occasions where Haitian customers were accused of stealing. | Black Floridians came to the support of their Haitian brothers and sisters. The first night about 100 dem- onstratea. Miami police acted to curtail the growing protest. Despite this, over 400 demonstrated on the third day in front of an empty store. Arrests were made. The police called the assembly unlawful and the demonstrators moved peacefully across the street, but only after their basic demands had been met in negoti- ations. Thus the struggle of Haitians against racism and for their rights has raised the level of the overall struggle against racism, and has helped develop a new sense of unity around those eco- nomic issues so vital to the welfare of all Floridians and the workers of our country.