U.S. may house Haitian refugees in Guantanamo

[Robbien]

Source: The Hill

The U.S. may use facilities at Guantanamo Bay to house refugees from the Haitian earthquake, according to a Pentagon official.

At a press briefing yesterday, Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, said the Departmen of Defense is considering using Guantanamo Bay as part of the U.S. relief efforts.

"It's a resource that's available if we need to take advantage of it for various reasons," Fraser said. "So we're looking across the region to just understand what the possibilities are there."

Guantanamo Bay is the closest military outpost to Haiti. Ironically, the first detention facilities at Guantanamo were built in 1991 to house refugees from the Haitian military coup in 1991.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/75939-us-may-house-haitian-refugees-in-guantanamo

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and the WSJ says
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/01/13/guantanamo-bay-a-possibility-to-help-out-haiti/

Four seriously injured members of the U.S. Embassy staff in Haiti were evacuated this morning to the hospital at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, raising questions about whether the Naval facility could be used to help out Haiti’s earthquake victims.

[sabrina 1]

1. Why can't they bring them to the US?

This reminds me of what happened to the refugees from Katrina. Haitians should not accept this proposal. If they were British or French or Cuban eg, they would not be sent to Guantanamo, they would either be facilitated in their own country, or brought to the US.

We have never wanted Haitians here. The refusal to allow those who risked their lives in boats seeking political asylum, to land in the US was a disgrace.

They were kept in cages literally, indefinitely, rather than admit them to the US. Meantime, Cuban refuess were welcomed. It was a tragedy. I remember reading about it and finding it inhumane and heart-breaking. We do not need a repeat of Reagan policies especially under a Democratic president. But that's what this sounds like.

[tridim]

2. Guantanamo is the US, and Obama will never let them be kept in freaking cages.

[sabrina 1]

5. Guantanamo is not the US. It is land leased from Cuba.

It is nothing more than a military base. Can these refugees start a normal life on Guantanamo?

And Reagan sent Haitians who were fleeing the violence in their country to Puerto Rico and six other states where they were separated from 'Americans' by being held in detention for years.

Guantanamo is where eg, someone like Rudi Giuliani would send them, keeping them separated from the rest of us.

I hope Obama refuses to even consider such a proposal, especially now, and especially considering the US' despicable record of its dealings with the people of Haiti. This is an opportunity to change course on how that poor country is treated by the US and other Western nations. I am hoping it will not be another missed opportunity.

Shepherding refugees from Haiti to a place whose very name has brought disgrace on the US would be seen for what it is. A continuation of the treatment Haitians have always received from this government, mostly from Republican administrations. And it would certainly bring back very unpleasant memories to those Haitians who have not forgotten their treatment under the Reagan administration and the Giuliani effort to 'send them back' claiming they were no longer in danger from the political upheaval in their country.

I really hope this doesn't happen. It would bring a lot of condemnation to this administration if it does.

[orion007]

4. It was Bill Clinton that went back on his campaign promise

of letting the Haitian refugees into the country.
I remember them being held on a ship and then returned to Haiti.
The other campaign promise was not giving China most favored nation status due to it's human rights abuses within China and Tibet.
No Republican needed here.

[sabrina 1]

7. Yes, but it was Reagan's policies

of keeping Haitian refugees in detention centers that created a climate of intolerance for them. The big scare that boat loads of 'black people' were going to invade the US. They were kept as virtual prisoners and then sent back to a country where their lives were in danger.

As for Clinton's role, I am familiar with it, but will definitely look it up. However, Clinton re-instated their elected president so he may have felt that it was safer for them to return at that time.

I'm not defending Democrats, as they have played their role in many of these situations. But it Reagan who was responsible for the treatment of the Haitian refugees which became just one more human rights abuse they were already fleeing from.

[orion007]

8. Thanks for reminding us of the role the US has played in Haiti's

demise.
It was horrific what Clinton did to the Haitians,and it turned out his campaign promises for both Haiti and China were shameful lies that were so humane compared to Bush Sr's policies at the time.
There is a lot of info on this on the net.

[sabrina 1]

9. Actually I have followed Haiti's history for a long time, at least

since the Bush Sr. era and have read a lot about the Bush/Papa Doc Duvalier alliance which led to so much suffering for the people of Haiti.

I just reread my post above, and lefto out the word 'not' I do NOT know much about Clinton's role ...

I was aware of Clinton's reinstatement of Aristede, using the miliatry to do so. I think that was the right thing to do. But, as many people observed at the time, he should not have withdrawn the troops until the country was more stable. The brutal opposition forces were never going to accept a democratically elected leader there and as soon as Bush Jr arrived, there was a US backed coup to once again, remove him. Since then, the brutality and human rights abuses and the complete collapse of the country into chaos and starvation has been absolutely heartbreaking. I hope that out of this disaster some good will come for the people.

I do not blame Clinton nearly as much as the last three Republican presidents, and of course, going further back there are plenty of others to blame.

The US is not alone in its disgraceful treatment of that country. Many western nations have shamefully ignored if not contributed to, the ongoing human rights abuses there, right up to when this latest disaster happened.

[bc3000]

3. Our tax dollars used for helping people rather than torturing them? Republicans are going to freak

[KoKo]

6. Will they "Vacate the Current Detainee's to Replace them with the Haitians?

Inquiring minds want to know!

If they don't then maybe they will house them in "ICE CAMPS in US" or those other "Detention Buildings" they've been busy working on.

America's New Serf Labor? FOR FREE? Send the Mexicans back and exploit the Haitians?

Or...will AMERICA FINALLY WAKE UP and do the HUMANITARIAN THING.... Rebuild Haiti and allow the folks there to stay?

:shrug: There's sort of a "black and White" choice and not the "COLOR GREY" to this one....

It's hard.

[jwirr]

10. Weapons into plowshares. And Chainy & Lieberman say it is a

nice place to live. Seriously that is not a bad idea as long as Cuba agrees and it is not their (the Haitians) prison. Maybe we could just get our asses and our prisoners out of there and turn it over to some of them while we help rebuild housing to replace that lost in the quake.