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Democrat confronts Bush: Set Haitians free
By MARY JACOBY and STEVE BOUSQUET
View related 10 News video: MIAMI -- It was supposed to be another carefully staged production Wednesday as Gov. Jeb Bush arrived to accept endorsements from African-Americans. Instead, Bush ran into the political aftershock of Tuesday's grounding of a rickety freighter with more than 200 Haitian refugees aboard. As Bush supporters cried for "four more years," protesters waved signs saying "Free Haitian refugees." The protesters, angry with the governor's brother, President Bush, for his policy of detaining Haitian asylum-seekers, converged on Bush's sport utility vehicle as it pulled up to the Liberty Learning Center in Miami's impoverished Liberty City area. Inside, U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, a Miami Democrat whose district includes the Little Haiti neighborhood, showed up unexpectedly to confront Bush. "I came to ask you if you would call your brother and ask him to call INS to release the Haitians who are in detention," Meek said, moving toward a podium where Bush stood. "My blood has been shared for them, governor. I love them." Bush responded: "I respect your position." "Please call him, governor, please," Meek persisted, as a composed but clearly uncomfortable Bush tried to put an end to her polite but lengthy pleas. "You can do it. We can't do it. The Congress can't do it. We've tried our best," Meek said. Gov. Bush, who opposes the detention policy, said he had won assurances from a National Security Council representative for "fair treatment" of the latest refugees and a "speedy" interview process. "My personal position is that, as someone comes into this country illegally, they have due process through Krome," Bush said, referring to the federal detention center in Miami-Dade County. "But if they have a well-founded fear of persecution they should be allowed out of Krome and allowed to pursue their remedies in the administrative courts. That's the same for Jamaicans, for Chinese, and it should be the same for Haitians," Bush said. But it was clear the president would not get involved. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Wednesday action would be unwise "six days before an election." "The laws of our land are the laws of our land, and they should be enforced by the proper authorities," Fleischer said, referring to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The refugees scrambled ashore Tuesday and are expected to petition for asylum to stay in the United States. But unlike asylum-seekers of other nationalities, Haitians who reach U.S. soil are no longer released into the community while their applications are reviewed. Haitian rights advocates say discrimination explains the policy, which has been in effect since December. They contrast the treatment of Haitians with Cuban refugees, who are allowed to go free while their immigration status is resolved. The Bush administration argues the policy discourages Haitians from risking their lives in dangerous overseas passages. Caught in between is Jeb Bush . In his re-election campaign, the governor has capitalized on his relationship with his brother, often noting the benefits to Florida of family ties between Tallahassee and Washington. The president is scheduled to campaign in Tampa on Saturday for his brother. But now, with the election only six days away, the governor is distancing himself from his brother over an issue that has inflamed passions. Many Miami blacks sympathize with the plight of the Haitians. Of the 214 boat people taken into custody Tuesday, three are from the Dominican Republic. The rest are Haitians, including 35 women and 25 children. One boy was hospitalized with dehydration. Six people, who were among those rounded up Tuesday, were charged Wednesday with trying to smuggle the Haitians into the United States. Authorities identified them as Edner Dorvil, 52, the owner of the unnamed vessel and coordinator of the voyage; boat operators Jean Phillip Petite-Homme, 45, Sali Atlanase Jean, 37, and Eli Louis, 29; mechanic Jean Eddy Louis, 19; and security worker Genel Elmeus Osmin, 37. All were being held pending a court appearance Friday, and they face 10-year prison terms if convicted. As of September, 21,260 foreign nationals were in INS custody, spokeswoman Karen Kraushaar said. Of those, 700 were Haitians.
Kraushaar said she is not allowed to disclose the immigration status of people in INS custody. But she said 403 of the Haitian detainees were "criminal offenders" who would be ineligible for asylum. Another 38 Haitians were classified as "possible" criminal cases, while 260 were "noncriminals" who may have applied for asylum. A combination of "crushing poverty" and "political crisis" at home draws Haitians to the United States, said Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 1991, a violent military coup overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and sparked a massive exodus from Haiti. In 1991 and 1992, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 41,342 Haitians at sea, more than in the previous 10 years combined. In 1994, a U.S.-led multinational force entered the country to restore democracy. Peacekeepers departed in 2000. Since then, violence and political chaos have returned, corruption is rampant, crime is up, drug trafficking is flourishing and the international community has thrown up its hands, Helton said. But that's also why President Bush's detention policy will not discourage Haitians from coming to the U.S., he added. "Given the conditions in Haiti, people will still take their chances and risk their lives to get here," Helton said. Dina Paul Parks of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights said it is "morally reprehensible" to single out Haitians for detention. "We would like to see Gov. Bush do what we've asked him to do all along, which is use his influence with his brother to get this policy reversed," Parks said. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride wrote President Bush on Wednesday urging him to overturn the INS Haitian policy by executive order. "They fled economic and political oppression, and we should be treating them with the kind of respect our great-great grandparents had when they came here," McBride said. Under U.S. law, foreign nationals who reach U.S. soil are allowed to file applications for asylum. Refugees can stay in the United States if a judge finds they will be persecuted for their beliefs or activities if returned home. Refugees interdicted at sea, however, can be repatriated without a hearing. The issue of asylum has long divided Miami's immigrant communities, with Haitians chafing at the preferential treatment given Cubans. On Wednesday, a prominent Haitian-American defended Gov. Bush. North Miami Mayor Joseph Celestin, a Republican, said Haitian-Americans are wasting their time arguing with the governor, who already agrees with them. "Go to Congress," Celestin said at Bush's campaign event. 'They are the ones responsible for making the laws. . . . Jeb has made it clear to everybody that he is against the policy." -- Times political editor Adam Smith contributed to this report, which used information from Times wire services.
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