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(Congressman Gosar touring the San Luis Port of Entry in October to investigate the
massive surge of Haitian immigrants)
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Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after leading an effort supported by 15 members of the House to end Haitian amnesty policies and secure our southwest border:
“Once again, the Obama Administration’s failure to follow the Rule of Law has caused a crisis on our Southern Border. Even the president’s own minions admit that their amnesty policy put in place in 2011 has contributed to the mass influx of Haitian nationals flooding our ports.
“While touring the San Luis Port of Entry, I heard firsthand from border patrol and local law enforcement that unlawful Haitian immigrants are putting unsustainable amounts of stress on detention facilities and deportation efforts. By picking and choosing which rules to enforce, the administration’s lawless actions have created additional burdens for immigration officials and incentivized mass Haitian migration. I call on Secretary Johnson to immediately resume deporting unlawful Haitians and work with Brazilian agencies to commence deportation removals for all Haitian nationals that have lawful status in Brazil.”
Background:
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
The letter demanded DHS Secretary Johnson, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kerlikowski, and ICE Director Saldana immediately resume deporting unlawful Haitians and answer important inquiries about this process moving forward.
15 total members of the House supported this effort including: Paul Gosar, Dave Brat, Mo Brooks, Bradley Byrne, Scott DesJarlais, John Fleming, Trent Franks, Louie Gohmert, Sam Johnson, Walter Jones, Steve King, Tom McClintock, Dana Rohrabacher, Lamar Smith, Randy Weber.
This effort is endorsed by the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) and NumbersUSA.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah Saldaña recently testified before the House Judiciary Committee that “40,000 Haitians were making their way to the U.S., calling it ‘an emergency situation’ on the Mexico-California border.”
At the briefing for Congressional staff on October 25, 2016, it was revealed that most of the Haitians currently seeking entry at our nation’s southwest border are coming from Brazil where they had received lawful status and been working following their migration after a large-scale earthquake occurred in Haiti in January of 2010. Officials at the briefing estimated that approximately 80,000 Haitians received this status and were allowed to reside in Brazil.
Immigration officials identified a “push factor” and a “pull factor” that have contributed to the mass Haitian immigration to the U.S. from Brazil that we have seen in recent months. The “push factor” was stated to be the recent collapse of the Brazilian economy and need for jobs. The “pull factor” was stated to be the policy implemented by the Obama Administration following the 2010 earthquake that suspended removals for all Haitians without criminal records. This policy was in effect from 2011 until September 22, 2016 when Secretary Johnson announced that his department would commence removal proceedings against Haitian nationals who fall within the administration’s “priorities.”
However, no deportation flights actually occurred before Hurricane Matthew hit the island on October 4, 2016. Immigration officials have stated they will only deport Haitian criminals at this time and will not deport other Haitian detainees as a result of this hurricane and current elections in Haiti.
Congress provides appropriations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to maintain an average daily population of 34,000 detainees. In October, it was revealed that the agency is currently detaining approximately 41,000 aliens of whom approximately 3,100 are of Haitian descent.
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