Why don't Haitians have the same rights Cubans have on US soil?

Question

"There is a policy called Wet Foot/Dry Foot for Cubans that states if a Cuban trying to come to the United States makes it to US shore they will not be sent back to Cuba, if they are however caught out at sea by the Coast Guard they may be sent back. When Haitians are caught at sea or on US soil they are almost always sent back to Haiti. The Haitians claim many are killed on return. They were also pointing out that US Cubans are getting special treatment from the Bush administration and use the Luis Posada case as an example. Luis Posada was a terrorist that blew up a passenger aircraft killing everyone on board and also set off bombs in hotels in Cuba. He has been in exile in the US for some time now and is not being extradited back to Cuba or Venezuela for this crime. The Haitians are also mad at the Bush administration for sponsoring the violent overthrow and forced exile of Haiti’s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Hundreds of Haitians have died as a result of this."

comments?

btw, i copy-pasted this from a photographer's website. He attended and anti-bush protest where cubans, haitians and bush haters reunited.

Answer 1

Two reasons...

Castro - The American government has been very anti-Castro since he came to power. This is somewhat foolish because we are 'friends' with leaders who are many times worse than Castro. But, the history is there, and once a policy is in place, it is very hard to get it changed.

Political Power - The Cuban immigrant population holds a lot of political power in Florida. They are both willing to give a lot of money and tend to be very centered on a few issues (meaning they are likely to change parties if they don't get what they want). As such, they are both able to maintain the policy on Castro and to push through laws beneficial to their own population.

Answer 2

Yak Rider is quite correct. Congress passed special legislation for Cubans only and everything you ever wanted to know about it Yak Rider has provided. Lots of Cubans are black, so it isn't really a question of race. For what it is worth, Haitians are treated the same way as citizens of any other nationality here illegally, except for Cubans. In that respect, Haitians are correct, they aren't treated as Cubans, but then nobody else is either. How fair that all really is, depends on who you talk to, but that is what Congress decided to do. .

The US has a long convoluted history with Haiti. So much so, it would be hard to pin down GW as the culprit of this particular problem. Did the US help end the Aristide government? Yes. However, the US also previously restored Aristide to power in the 90s, after overthrowing by force the military regime that overthrew him. Haiti was basically run by the US Marines in the 20's, when we took over after a serious financial crisis there. Many people blaimed the Papa Doc regime on that period. We supported Papa Doc as an anti-communist, but then helped bring down his son, Baby Doc, which then made it possible for Aristide to be elected in the first place. So, you might also reasonably accuse the US of helping Aristide gain power both the first and the second time. As I said, very convoluted.

We did bring in Haitians as refugees in two different periods in the 90s, most of them processed at Guantanemo. Lots of Haitians fleeing Baby Doc and the military received political asylum in the US in the past. By the way, we also had Haitians applying for political asylum who claimed persecution by Aristide. It seems our relationship with Haiti is convoluted in both directions.

Answer 3

Haitians or anyone else overseas don't have "rights" in the U.S.
If "poverty" were a reason to come to the U.S. the whole world would already be here.
I don't think we should be giving any special consideration to Cuba or any other country.
Immigration to (any) country is not a "right."
We did have Haitians come here as political asylees during Duvalier's tenure.
He's long gone so there is no good reason for them not to be repatriated back to Haiti.
"Refugee" and "Asylum" status are "temporary" situations and once the situation stabilises in a country that country's "refugees" can be sent back.
It's about "protection" not a way around our Citizenship laws.

Answer 4

They are the wrong shade, bottom line. If they were light skinned ones jumping off boats and being smuggled in every day the way the Cubans are, they would have the same rights to illegally cross in a boat and once they touch land, they become legal and can jump the line of anyone who applied legally to get here and waited their turn. Haitians get slaughtered just as much as cubans( according to cuban claims) upon their return to their country but too bad so sad.

Answer 5

The Cubans had the fear of Communism and the well organize middle class refuges to get the 1966 Cuban relief act, all the Haitians has is their pain and suffering

Answer 6

Cuba is a Communist Country. This is the only reason they get preferential treatment and feel that they have a God Given right to move to the US and not learn the culture or language because the US Government can't stand the fact that there is a communist country that close that they can't convert to capitalism.

Answer 7

Same island....same reason so many others come here....I want to eat. There is no rational reason why they should be so harshly punished when others aren't. If poverty is the reason....they should come.....being on the same island....they should come.

Heck we can afford a handful of people from an island......not million upon million from and entire country.

Answer 8

because the ones here are not organized enough to vote in a bloc, and are scattered all over the country,, as for Bush,, he is a hypocrite, and fool....

Answer 9

Because Haiti is not a communist country. They are not seeking asylum.

Answer 10

They don't have the same rights because they are not included in the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. You do understand that this is law, right? You understand that the policy isn't just made up as we go along?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Adjustment_Act

The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), Public Law 89-732, was enacted on November 2, 1966. The law applies to any native or citizen of Cuba who has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States after January 1, 1959 and has been physically present for at least one year; and is admissible to the United States for Permanent Residence.

Legal Migration to the United States

Cubans in Cuba can legally migrate to the U.S. through various migration programs that include immigrant visa issuance, refugee admission, the diversity lottery, and the Special Cuban Migration Program (SCMP), otherwise known as the Cuban lottery.

Immigrant visas are issued to the parents, spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of U.S. citizens as soon as the immigrant visa petition is approved by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Immigrant visas are also available to a range of persons who can qualify for family or employment-based visas under the preference system that controls numerically limited immigration to the United States.

The preference system allows US citizens to bring their siblings and their adult married children to the United States. Lawful permanent residents of the United States can petition for petition for their spouses, minor children, and unmarried adult children). The waiting period for preference visas varies by category.

Those who have been persecuted in Cuba, or who fear persecution (on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion), may apply for U.S. resettlement through our in country refugee processing unit at the United States Interests Section in Havana.

The diversity visa program is also available in Cuba. There are 55,000 visas available annually to eligible applicants from around the world. For the three years that we have statistics, the success rate for Cuban applicants is quite high. In 1996 approximately 67% of those registered were issued visas, in 1997 the success rate was 69% and in 1998 a total of 73% of Cuban applicants who applied for the diversity visa program were issued visas.

The Special Cuban Migration Program, or "Cuban lottery," is open to all adult Cubans between the ages of 18 and 55 years of age who are resident in Cuba regardless of whether they qualify for our immigrant visa or refugee programs. The lottery provides an avenue of legal migration to a diverse group of Cubans, including those who might not have close relatives in the United States. The last registration period was held from June 15- July 15, 1998. The next registration period has not yet been determined but we anticipate that it will take place in 2001.

Current or Recent Alien Adjustment Provisions

A. Cuban Adjustment
(Public Law 89-732, November 2, 1966, as Amended)
That, notwithstanding the provisions of section 245(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act the status of any alien who is a native or citizen of Cuba and who has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States subsequent to January 1, 1959 and has been physically present in the United States for at least one year, may be adjusted by the Attorney General, in his discretion and under such regulations as he may prescribe, to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien makes an application for such adjustment, and the alien is eligible to receive an immigrant visa and is admissible to the United States for permanent residence. Upon approval of such an application for adjustment of status, the Attorney General shall create a record of the alien's admission for permanent residence as of a date thirty months prior to the filing of such an application or the date of his last arrival into the United States, whichever date is later. The provisions of this Act shall be applicable to the spouse and child of any alien described in this subsection, regardless of their citizenship and place of birth, who are residing with such alien in the United States.

SEC. 2. In the case of any alien described in section 1 of this Act who, prior to the effective date thereof, has been lawfully admitted into the United States for permanent residence, the Attorney General shall, upon application, record his admission for permanent residence as of the date the alien originally arrived in the United States as a nonimmigrant or as a parolee, or a date thirty months prior to the date of enactment of this Act, whichever date is later.

[Section 3 amended § 13 of Pub. L. 89-236 (8 U.S.C. 1255(c)); omitted as executed.]

SEC. 4. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Act, the definitions contained in section 101 (a) and (b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act shall apply in the administration of this Act. Nothing contained in this Act shall be held to repeal, amend, alter, modify, affect, or restrict the powers, duties, functions, or authority of the Attorney General in the administration and enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act or any other law relating to immigration nationality, or naturalization.

SEC. 5. The approval of an application for adjustment of status to that of lawful permanent resident of the United States pursuant to the provisions of section 1 or this Act shall not require the Secretary of State to reduce the number of visas authorized to be issued in any class in any alien who is physically present in the United States on or before the effective date of the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1976.