WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2021) US President Joe Biden's decision to renew protections for Haitian nationals is a positive step but the situation will not change if he continues to support the island nation's repressive government, Family Action Network Movement Executive Director Marleine Bastien told Sputnik.
On May 22, the US renewed Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals amid the ongoing social unrest and human rights abuses in Haiti. Meanwhile, Washington has come under pressure for backing the Organization of American States (OAS) position that Haitian President Jovenel Moise should remain in power.
"When it comes to Moise, the US is making a big, big mistake. The US has accepted the position of the OAS. It's a big mistake and a bad calculation," Bastien said. "I'm asking Biden to reassess his position. I strongly urge him to do it. I came here [to the US] in 1981. We were fighting an established dictator. Right now, we're fighting a nascent dictator."
Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been experiencing social, political, and constitutional crises, with protesters blaming Moise for targeted killings, widespread corruption, and economic collapse. The opposition believes Moise's five-year-term should have ended in February 2021, five years after his predecessor Michel Martelly stepped down, but Moise has insisted he has an additional year to serve, a position backed by the OAS.
Bastien called the renewal of TPS a step in the right direction because it will provide some relief for Haitian nationals who are living in "limbo" and fearful of returning home where people are being killed, maimed and repressed.
"They are being killed like animals. Girls are gang-raped. There is a high level of political instability. You can look at recent Human Rights reports and in-country conditions. This is who the US is supporting," Bastien said. "What's shaking me is the silence of the world to state-sponsored killing. If it was Venezuela or Cuba, they would not be silent. We're hardly hearing anything. Why? Why? Why?"
Bastien said Haiti's protesters, critics in the diaspora, civil society, governmental organizations and others demand accountability and respect for the rule of law. The uprising, she said, is being led by young people.
"There is a lack of respect for the Haitian people," she said. "Biden may think Haitian-Americans will be satisfied but he is making mistakes. The Haitian electorate is growing in Georgia, it's growing in Florida. We're a very dynamic group of voters. We are the swing voters. He needs to take another look and not engage Haiti with the hands-off policy of his predecessor. Biden needs to be careful. He could lose Haitians."
Bastien said going forward activists and advocates have to organize a push for immigration reform to happen.
"We have never seen things offered to us on a silver platter. This is no different," said Bastien. "We have to keep Biden honest. He promised to do this and we have to keep the pressure on. We don't want to hear any excuses. He must have political courage. He promised to reform the immigration system, which is broken, but he has made excuses."
