|
Haitian refugee policy concerns JRS
Fr.
Ken Gavin, SJ, national director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA,
the central U.S. coordinating office of JRS International, has
sent a letter to President Bush asking him to reconsider his
administration’s stance regarding Haitian refugees from
Haiti.
Founded in 1981, under the auspices of the Society of Jesus,
JRS has emerged as a major international project of the of the
Jesuit social apostolate. With more than 400 regionally organized
personnel, JRS operates programs for refugees in more than 40
countries in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Australia.
JRS programs include pastoral care, education, health care and
vocational training. In addition to these direct services, JRS
personnel advocate for refugees and the internally displaced
before national and international governing bodies.
Click here for the text of the letter.
Dear Mr. President:
As National Director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, I write
to express my deep disappointment with your statement of February
25, 2004 regarding the US policy of interdiction for refugees
from Haiti.
Your statement that “. . . we will turn back any refugee
that attempts to reach our shore” is in clear violation
of the basic principles of refugee protection embodied in the
Refugee Convention and other international legal norms. Furthermore,
the present U.S. policy of interdiction of Haitians at sea,
that effectively denies fair access to the U.S. asylum process,
and the subjection of Haitians to forced repatriation or indefinite
detention is an unjustified, inhumane and discriminatory practice
that is applied to no other nationality. To maintain such a
policy in the face of the present crisis in Haiti is unworthy
of the great humanitarian traditions of the United States. It
sets a lamentable precedent for other nations and will not,
I believe, serve the United States’ long-term national
interest.
I urge you to reconsider your present policy so as to ensure
that protection is provided to Haitian refugees and asylum seekers
on a just and equitable basis. I further urge that the United
States work with the other nations of the region, especially
the Dominican Republic, to ensure that this protection is provided
throughout the region. Lastly, I urge the United States to take
urgent action in concert with the United Nations to facilitate
a rapid restoration of order and public safety within Haiti
itself.
Our hope is that the United States, in conjunction with the
international community, will be prepared to respond to the
protection needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters at this
difficult moment in their history.
back to news
|
