refugee - Haiti Observer Blog

Around the time Haitian President Aristide returned to Haiti from exile in the U.S. violent opposition forces forced Haitians to flee the country to sanctuary in the U.S. To deal with the migration, the U.S. formed Operation Sea Signal, using its U.S. Coast Guard and Navy units to rescue migrants bobbing in the ocean and transport them to Guantanamo Bay Naval Station.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Poll, a young but already seasoned soldier, worked with the Joint Task Force 160 (JTF), responsible for the welfare of over 50,000 migrants. The resettlement camp operated from August 1994 up until February 1996.

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On the night of July 6th, Carnival Freedom rescued a sinking raft off the coast of Florida. The raft had 29 refugees from Haiti. The Carnival Freedom cruise was en route back to the home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They were alerted by United States Coast Guard that there was a vessel sinking and there are 29 people on board. The Carnival Freedom has always assisted mariners, and they turned towards the sinking vessel. The United States Coast cutter arrived on the scene and released the Carnival Freedom so that they could proceed to Fort Lauderdale.

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That the future is upon us is evident amidst Amazon's, the American giant that gave the world the Kindle and all but started online buying, declaration that they are working on technology that will help them deliver packages by way of drones. They say the advent, while sci-fi sounding now, will, in the future, be as common as today's common mode of delivery--delivery trucks. While Amazon's hopes are high, the unlikeliness of the venture is being discussed by others who say the announcement is just for 15 minutes of press.

Despite the naysayers, a 2012 test facilitated by a California startup company, Matternet, showed the feasibility of the venture. They used a drone, outfitted with eight propellers, to deliver a 2 kilogram package over 10 kilometers. The test was to show if this method of delivery could be used to supply packages to Haitian refugee camps. The finding was that the cost was only $0.20 to $0.70, a savings of at least five times what it would cost to deliver the goods traditionally.

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Cheryl Little is a heroine to immigrants in Miami-Dade. The immigrant community turned out to honor her during the Ninth Annual Champions for Children Ceremony. Seven grade-school girls adorned in ethnic denim dresses and scarves performed a dance to celebrate the event.

Little has worked persistently on behalf of the rights of immigrant families for almost 30 years. In recognition of her contributions, she received the David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children Award. This award, given out every year, is named for David Lawrence Jr., nationally recognized as a pre-school education advocate and the ex-publisher of the Miami Herald.

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Reports from the International Organization for Migration indicate that the numbers of undocumented Haitians residing in the Bahamas ranges from 20,000 to 50,000 yet only 5,000 Haitian are registered as migrant workers.

According to the report, approximately 13,000 family members depend and are sustained by these Haitian registered migrant workers.

The IOM's report quotes some statistics with respect to the children of the migrants that tends to bring a face of humanity to the most relatable notion deliberated on by the latest Constitutional Commission report in relation to the Bahamian citizenship right.

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Haiti's own version of Martin Luther King Jr., rector, catholic priest and liberation theologian Pere Gérard Jean-Juste, left an indelible mark after his passing in May of 2009. The twice arrested Lavalas party supporter was not afraid to speak his mind about all aspects of life in Haiti, including those topics bound to stir up heated debates and even more serious trouble.

Hailing from Cavaillon, Pere Gérard was born on the 7th of February, 1946 and studied at a seminary in Canada before being the first ordained Haitian. His subsequent service in a parish church established his future dedication to assisting those in need.

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The repertoire of award-winning author Edwidge Danticat includes an entry to Oprah's book club as well as critically acclaimed autobiographical epics. Whether she's written a novel or a short story collection, readers are bound to get a story that deals with the difficulties and tensions of living life in a foreign land.

In the memoir 'Brother, I'm Dying' Danticat presented the story of her life and those of the two men she loved the most, her father and his older brother, who both died in a year that brought life's complexities starkly to her mind as, while dealing with death, she also welcomed life with the birth of her daughter.

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The efforts of Haitian activist Colette Lespinasse have not been in vain. She has labored tirelessly for the last 20 years to fight for the rights of Haitian refugees who have relocated to the Dominican Republic as well as Dominicans who have been treated unfairly while in Haiti.

Lespinasse has finally been recognized by Refugee International, which has awarded her the coveted 2nd annual Richard C. Holbrooke Award together with a $5,000 token in appreciation of her work. The award was created to honor those who demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that they are committed to ensuring fair treatment of refugees, with protection of all their human rights.

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U.S. business people are major contributors to the illegal immigration labor problem that has beset America for years, especially the last four.

American workers watch as good-paying employment continues to be outsourced, and illegals pass border patrols to enter and obtain subsistent-paying jobs. Nationally, unemployment figures are still well above normal levels. The occupy movements that have proliferated across the country are testament that the 99% are crying out for justice.

Congress has not addressed either job outsourcing or illegals' hiring issues that worsen the immigration labor problem. Dave Gibson, a former state-government administrator, observes self-serving politicians have colluded with dishonest businesspeople to exacerbate the immigration labor issue. They are accepting inappropriate monies businesspeople have pocketed through saving enormous amounts of money on payroll expenses employing illegals.

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