What's Up Little Haiti

Thousands of Haitians immigrants to be released for lack of detention space

Published November 18, 2016Fox News LatinoFederal officials say they are releasing Haitian immigrants who have been entering the country by the thousands since last year, backtracking on a pledge to jail them before they are deported.

A U.S. government official told The Associated Press that the decision to free Haitians arriving in Arizona and California is in response to a lack of jail space.

Between October of 2015 and late September, about 5,000 Haitians have arrived at San Diego's San Ysidro port of entry, overwhelming border inspectors. Another 40,000 are on their way, officials have said.

They arrive at the U.S. border with Mexico, many after traveling 7,000 miles by foot, taxi and bus from Brazil through eight nations.

The decision to release Haitians will likely add to the growing backlog of more than half-a-million cases already pending in immigration court. That backlog has effectively meant that immigrants routinely wait years for a judge to decide if they should be kicked out of the country.

The official said releasing immigrants with orders to report later to immigration court is a tactic used when detention space is scarce, under certain humanitarian conditions or as part of efforts to keep families together.

Before the Haitians are released, they will be subjected to a criminal background and national security check. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and insisted on speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Department of Homeland Security last week said there were about 41,000 people in immigration detention facilities, compared to a typical population of 31,000 to 34,000.

It was unclear how many Haitians have been released since the change, although ICE says it has deported 203 Haitians to their home country and that about 4,400 remain detained.

The influx of migrants and lack of jail space on the border will be one of the most immediate immigration challenges for Trump.

Among the issues Trump will face is growing opposition to conditions at Border Patrol holding cells and ICE detention centers.

For example, the Border Patrol in Arizona faces a lawsuit from immigrants who say its holding cells are overcrowded, dirty and extremely cold. A federal judge in Tucson on Tuesday said he was inclined to direct the Border Patrol to improve sleeping conditions, although he hasn't issued a directive yet.

Immigrants who enter through Texas also report that Border Patrol holding facilities – known as "hieleras" – the Spanish word for "freezers," are difficult to sleep in. CBP has said it is "committed to the safety, security and welfare of those in our custody, especially those who are most vulnerable."

Includes reporting by the Associated Press.

NOVEMBER 20^TH, 2016: ELECTION DAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

The following are some reflections from our reporters who were on the ground:

There were delay at several polling stations, at the beginning of the day.

However, there were no major difficulties in the voting process, in spite of some lines.

People who were going to vote were mostly between ages of 18 and 25 years old.
We did not notice any ramps to facilitate the access of people with disabilities to the polling stations.
Marketplaces were open, but there weren’t many vendors. People were at church and it was after church services that they went to vote.
The national police force was everywhere. The Minister of Justice informed that about ten drones flew over the territory on Sunday to record any breaches related to the elections. "I guarantee that the police will respond immediately to any emergency call during electoral day,” said the Minister.

IRREGULARITIES

The Institute of Justice and Democracy in Haiti has reported several irregularities in Pétion-Ville, including campaign signs posted too close to polling station; a lack of identification documents for representatives of political parties; inconsistent use of the marking ink on voters’ fingers, and observers' from different political parties exchanging money outside the polling stations.

In Cap-Haïtien, the election took place under the rain. Heavy Downpours were reported in the area of Paillant, where people did not mobilize to go to vote. Was it because of the fog which covered the city?

Voter turnout was also light in Barradères and in Grand Boukan which also received heavy rains.

Jude Célestin, the candidate of LAPEH, voted at the Lycée of Pétion Ville, one of the most important polling stations of Pétion-Ville, which experienced large crowds, since early in the morning. There as well, we were struck to see that the majority of people going to vote were very young (about 19 years old).

Jovenel Moïse voted in the municipality of Trou du Nord, his native place, in the Northeast Department.

The President of the Republic accompanied by his wife, went to a polling station, in Petit Trou de Nippes to carry out his duty as a citizen.

President Jocelerme Privert presented the November 20^th election in Haiti as a last attempt to restore stability in the country.

There seems to have been a heavy voter turnout in certain provincial towns.

According to our correspondents in various provincial towns, there was a strong police presence in Cap-Haïtien, as in well as in Jérémie, in the Grade Anse, which was deeply affected by Hurricane Mathew. Similarly, in Mirebalais in the lower part of the Plateau Central, a strong voter participation was observed early in the morning at the opening of the polling stations.

Similarly, in Jacmel in the Southeast of the country, and to Port-de-Paix in the Northwest and in Miragoâne in the Nippes, as well as in the Cayes in the South.

The Observers of the OAS deployed throughout the country

The electoral observation mission of the OAS (Organization of American States) in Haiti was deployed throughout the country. The international observers were in diverse polling stations. It was the Uruguayan Senator Juan Raoul Ferreira who managed the team of 130 experts and observers from 24 different countries. This mission observed the progress of the November 20^th election in 10 departments.

Among the members of the mission, were several specialists who were asked to analyze certain aspects of the electoral process including its organization, technology, fairness, and its electoral registry, as well as the participation of women. THE OAS was to observe the process from the opening of polling stations up until the counting of the votes. A team of Observers will remain in the country until the end of the election period.

"We have observed improvements in the process, in spite of difficult conditions,” asserted the head of the mission.

Briefing and Exhibit: Hurricane Matthew Recovery Efforts in Haiti  Wednesday, November 16, 2016

2261 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

Exhibit: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm | Briefing: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson invites you to a briefing and photo exhibit on USAID-led efforts to help Haiti recover from Hurricane Matthew. The event will feature agency leaders on the frontline of the recovery efforts, members of Congress who recently traveled to Haiti, and other workers and experts in the fields of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance. Staff from USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs (DCHA) will be on hand from 11:00 am-12:00 pm to answer questions on the Hurricane Matthew response. Key Facts

Hurricane Matthew made initial landfall in southwestern Haiti on October 4 as a powerful Category 4 storm.
The Government of Haiti reports that 546 people were killed as a result of the storm and an estimated 1.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the agency responsible for leading the U.S. government’s response to international disasters.
In anticipation of the storm, USAID activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with staff in Haiti, Jamaica, and The Bahamas on October 3. The team continues to work with the Government of Haiti and USAID’s partners to deliver humanitarian assistance to communities in need.
The United States is the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance for Hurricane Matthew relief efforts. Total U.S. government assistance now stands at more than $53 million. This includes nearly $40 million from USAID and more than $13 million from the U.S. Department of Defense.
International aid must help Haiti sustain itself
The Miami Herald KATE SCHECTER Miami Herald 13 November 2016 780 words
Hurricane Matthew devastated much of Haiti. The storm killed more than 800 people and leveled entire communities. Those who have visited have described scenes reminiscent of when the earthquake hit the island in 2010. There are food shortages, and a cholera epidemic has reached an alarming level. The World Health Organization has sent 1 million doses of cholera vaccine in response. The Haitian Ministry of Health was to begin a mass vaccination program last week.
It will take time to recover from this latest disaster. Then Haitians and the international community will once again embark on a rebuilding program.
After the 2010 earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's urban society, the international community committed more than $1 billion to a rebuilding effort that was intended to set Haiti on the path toward sustainable development.
The international community once again will spend millions, or even billions, in Haiti. Government officials and humanitarian groups will return to the island to implement programs. Foreign investors will arrive to assess opportunities.
But this time, the focus can and should be more effective. There are important lessons from the postearthquake effort. These lessons are reinforced by what governments and aid groups are learning about sustainable and integrated development in communities around the world.
Based on our decades' long work in developing communities, including in Haiti, we have concluded sustainable development is guided by three concrete principles.
First, build on what already exists. Development projects are especially effective when they help people improve what they already do or what they already have in place.
In Haiti, this primarily means agriculture. Sustainability requires direct work with farmers, as well as infrastructurebased investments that expand market access and overcome constraints along the value chain. Smart and targeted infrastructure investment roads, bridges, and the electrical grid can yield impressive results for the development of marketdriven economic activities of all kinds, including agriculture.
Second, development organizations must work with and through communities. Sustainable economic and social development only succeeds if it identifies with and engages local power structures by leveraging the knowledge and capabilities of local leaders and groups.

CULTURE: The Miami Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair took place from November 13^th to 20^th with a significant participation by Haitian authors (Gary Victor, Yanick Lahens, Robert Large, Claude Pierre) but also by Haitian authors living in the diaspora (Edwige Danticat, Jean Mapou, Schiller Marcelin, Iléus Papillon, Kiki Wainwright …)

During its last weekend several Haitian authors livened up conferences in French and in Creole. Translators were present on the site, to provide simultaneous translation for the many foreigners who participated in Miami Book Fair.

It is the first time, can one say that Haitian literature had such a prominent place at the Miami Book Fair, the biggest literary event in the United States.

Members of the Creole Academy were on site leading a Round Table under the theme "Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Kompran." The authors who participated in this conference were Madam Jocelyne Trouillot of the Akademi Kreyòl, accompanied by: Gérard Férère, Michel Ange Hyppolide, Claude Pierre, Jean Robert Placide..

There was also another conference on Haitian Literature with writers EdwidgDanticat, Yanick Lahens and Gary Victor. This conference, which was a conversation on contemporary Haitian literature, took place under the animation of Michèle Duvivier Pierre Louis's.

This year’s strong Haitian participation, was an initiative of Sosyete Koukouy nan Miami.