XPost: sac.politics, or.general, az.general
XPost: rec.arts.tv
Haitian illegal immigrants are pouring into the U.S. at a rate
of some 3,000 a month, blazing new paths and exploiting special
policies and lax Obama administration enforcement to gain a
foothold in the country, according to a secret government
intelligence assessment.
Thanks to advice from family members already in the U.S., new
immigrants are spreading out across the border, testing
crossings in Arizona and Texas where they have been told they
will have an easier time getting through, analysts said in a
Nov. 17 bulletin from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s
office of intelligence, which The Washington Times reviewed.
Perhaps most striking was the presence of an illegal immigrant
from the Middle East who appeared to be attempting to sneak in
along with a group of 50 Haitians.
Border officials have been grappling for months with the Haitian
surge. Thousands are making the trek from Brazil, where they
have been living since the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in
their home country. The Haitians are hoping to take advantage of
lax immigration enforcement in the U.S.
The word has now spread to Chile, where analysts said some
40,000 Haitians went for refuge after the earthquake. Encouraged
by family members who have made it to the U.S., many are now
eyeing a trip north.
The government of Haiti, whose difficulties were compounded this
fall by Hurricane Matthew, is limiting its cooperation with
deportations. Haiti is capping the number of people it will take
back at just 30 a day — a fraction of the 100 who are arriving
at the U.S. border.
“Haitian arrivals at the U.S. southwest border (SWB) have
continued to exponentially increase,” the intelligence analysts
said.
They said “positive change of U.S. policies” is one of the
factors that is attracting Haitians.
The issue has hit the San Diego area particularly hard because
Haitians were initially showing up at the port of entry to
demand asylum.
But the analysts said Haitians are beginning to sense more
resistance from officers in California, so they have started
drifting to entry points east.
“Haitians have learned well over time how to take full advantage
of the immigration system and exploit it to their benefit,” said
Joe Kasper, chief of staff to Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California
Republican who has closely tracked the situation.
“Now that San Diego is becoming a more difficult point on entry,
they’re moving east to avoid being turned back. They know for
the next few months at least that this current administration
will allow it, even encourage it,” he said.
U.S. officials met with Haitian government employees in Haiti on
Nov. 14 and tried to speed up repatriations, but they were told
that Haiti could take only 60 deportees per flight and could
handle a flight only every other day.
Complicating matters is the International Organization of
Migration’s policy of giving the Haitian deportees $100 in cash
when they arrive to facilitate reintegration. Officials fear
gangs will start to target the new arrivals for robberies.
The organization has asked the U.S. to vary its flight schedules
so the gangs won’t be able to plan their attacks, the analysts
said.
CBP told The Times that it is aware of the Haitian surge but
insisted the problem is still primarily at California’s San
Ysidro port of entry, the busiest in the nation. A spokeswoman
said the agency has the ability to shift resources to handle the
increase.
New arrivals of all nationalities are supposed to be priorities
for deportation, but the administration suspended most removals
to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Earlier this year, as the Haitian surge into the U.S. began,
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced that
deportations would kick into high gear. But the hurricane
struck, and deportations were again suspended. Since the
suspension was lifted effective Nov. 3, 150 have been deported
on five flights to Haiti.
As of Nov. 12, the U.S. had 4,425 Haitians in the immigration
system, up from 619 on Sept. 24. Of those in the system, 2,451
have been given final orders of deportation.
The Washington Times reported last month on the route the
Haitians take from South America, paying thousands of dollars to
be smuggled up the west coast through Central America and then
into Mexico, where authorities issue permits giving them time to
cross to the U.S.
Once in the United States, many of the Haitians claim asylum and
fight deportation in cases that can drag on for years,
guaranteeing the migrants a foothold in the country. U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services said it received referrals
to conduct credible fear screenings, the first part of an
affirmative asylum claim, for 523 Haitians over the past year.
Other Haitians who are apprehended are put on a slow deportation
track, giving them a chance to hide in the shadows along with
other illegal immigrants. Southern Florida is a particularly
attractive destination for Haitians, the document said.
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