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Jean-Robert LaFortune Read Spanish Version From Letters to The Miami Herald After years in President Bush's political wilderness, Haitian-American advocates are poised to begin a dialogue with a friendlier and more humane administration now that President Obama has taken office. Securing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals in the United States is one of our top priorities. It deserves immediate attention since it can be implemented through an executive order. Advocates were told that the Bush administration's refusal to grant TPS was because it feared a potential exodus of Haitians to Florida. In November 2001, then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft arbitrarily and secretly, implemented an indefinite detention policy regarding Haitian refugees; in May 2002, he tagged Haitian migrants as presenting a national-security risk in the U.S. war against terrorism. In February 2004, after the forced departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti became a killing field for many of its citizens. Bush instructed the U.S. Coast Guard to summarily repatriate Haitians intercepted at sea, even though this action may have violated the 1967 United Nations Protocol prohibiting the principle of refoulement -- repatriation. Since 2003, intense and constant community outcry for the Bush administration to do right by Haitian nationals was to no avail. That administration's assessment and fear of a Haitian exodus were wrong. In October 1998, when the Clinton administration granted ''deferred enforcement departure'' to Haitian nationals, there was no exodus of boat people to Florida. In addition, an analysis of U.S Coast Guard interception of Haitian migrants during the past three decades indicates that political turmoil is the key factor that spurs waves of Haitians fleeing to other countries in the region. Granting TPS will help achieve a level of financial stability to Haiti, since Haitians in the United States can sustain their homeland more efficiently through remittances. Haitian President Rene Preval is right that his government cannot continue to accept the deportees because of the calamity caused by last year's tropical storms. Other countries, such as Canada, have halted the deportation of Haitian nationals until conditions improve. It is reasonable and humane that our new president grant TPS to approximately 10,000 Haitian nationals already in the United States. Jean-Robert LaFortune is chair of the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition (HAGC) in Miami. http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/870245.html (Editor’s Note: Jean-Robert has been a friend for almost a decade. He is a tireless worker on behalf of the Haitian community in Miami and the U.S. Progreso Weekly stands by him and the HAGC in their quest for TPS. Progreso Weekly’s doors will always be open to Jean-Robert and HAGC.) |
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President Obama, his latent example and inspiration for Cuba
By Rolando H. Castañeda y Lorenzo Cañizares
One hundred days into his administration, President Barack H. Obama shows the world a series of examples and challenges that are also particularly applicable to Cuba. He proposes to confront -- simultaneously and with determination -- several fundamental problems that affect U.S. society, and he wishes to establish good relations and détente with the rest of the world, especially with his closest neighbors.
By Virtin
On Sunday, death came to our dear poet, writer and comrade Mario Benedetti in Uruguay, his native country.
He taught us that our dead ask us to sing.
An example they’d like to impose on Cuba
By Germán Piniella
An article signed by Rolando H. Castañeda and Lorenzo Cañizares, published in this issue of Progreso Weekly (see “President Obama, His Latent Example and Inspiration for Cuba”) seems to pose an alternate position in regards to the relations of the island’s émigré.
It is convenient to remember similar perspectives in another moment in Cuban history. Halfway through the 19th century, when the country’s national conscience began to emerge, a roadway for the independence struggle was paved in the thoughts of the educator Felix Varela and the incendiary lyrics of Jose Maria Heredia. There were sectors of the bourgeoisie who feared that the “black danger” of the Haitian revolution would overpower Cuba, or that the “Jacobin” chaos would take the country towards the path of ruin. For these and other reasons two solutions arose: the autonomy linked to Spain and annexation to the United States.
Cuba and Obama's contradictions
By Salim Lamrani
On April 13, 2009, on the eve of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago, Barack Obama alleviated the economic sanctions against Cuba by lifting the restrictions that affected Cubans living in the United States. Now, they can travel to their land of birth whenever they wish (an activity previously limited to a 14-day stay every three years) and send unlimited remittances to their relatives (previously limited to US$100 per month.)
The summit -- in which Havana did not participate because it was expelled from the Organization of American States in 1962 -- was dominated by the topic of Cuba. In her inaugural speech, 
Argentine President Cristina Kirchner exhorted Washington to eliminate the state of siege it has imposed on the people of Cuba since August 1960. The other 32 Latin American and Caribbean leaders also called on the White House to end an anachronistic and cruel situation that affects all sectors of the population.
By Bill Press
It's been 81 years since legendary coach Knute Rockne urged his players to "win one for the Gipper." But no Notre Dame football team ever faced a tougher challenge than President Obama does.
Since he was invited by university president Father John Jenkins to give this year's commencement address, Obama has faced a growing wave of protest. Judging from the howls of some critics, you'd think the devil himself was presiding over this year's graduation.
Notre Dame is one of our great universities...
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