Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 22 mars 2022

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden,

March 17, 2022

As members of Congress, we are committed to strengthening bilateral and trade relations with the Republic of Haiti, the second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere. However, we are deeply concerned regarding the ongoing political crisis in the country. Therefore, we urge your administration to allow the people of Haiti to determine their political destiny by supporting consensus among political actors, civil society, religious and private sectors to create a civil society-led democratic transition.

Due to the extent of the insecurity challenges in Haiti, it is impossible to hold elections in this climate. In 2016, roughly 21 percent of the voting population participated in the presidential election. While elections are often a sign of democracy, holding elections in a climate where citizens are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being kidnapped or killed would severely undermine the electoral process. Hence, your administration must prioritize peace, safety, and security. Elections are necessary but not sufficient to bring about stability in the country if optimal conditions are not met, and consensus among various sectors has not been achieved.

We believe there is a path forward to a democratic transition in Haiti backed by the Haitian people. However, any steps taken to lead to such a transition have limited prospects for success if the United States continues to support the de facto government of Dr. Ariel Henry, who has no incentive to negotiate in good faith while enjoying unfettered support from the United States. There is no doubt that aspects of U.S. policy towards Haiti have undermined the nation's development, peace, and security. However, we have a chance to fix our past mistakes and support the Haitian people to put their country on a path toward true democracy. Now is the time.

Furthermore, your administration's support for Dr. Henry appears contradictory to your stated goal that the United States will not tilt the scales of Haitian politics. Dr. Henry lacks the legitimacy to organize elections and does not have the consensus needed to galvanize the Haitian people to the polls. Dr. Henry's legitimacy comes from the international community, not the Haitian people. We are aware that a growing number of civil societies, the private sector, and political organizations in Haiti have mobilized to offer a more representative inclusive path forward to steer Haiti towards

1

the direction of sustainable democracy. We are hopeful that your administration will take meaningful steps to substantively engage with these groups.

Additionally, we are deeply concerned that, under the Henry government, there continues to be little progress in the investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse that took place last July and that those investigating the case in Haiti have faced threats and intimidation. It is crucial that the intellectual authors and those directly involved in President Moïse’s assassination be held accountable to provide clarity and best help Haiti resolve its political crisis. As members of Congress, we urge your administration to take the necessary steps to keep us apprised of the investigation and to thoroughly examine and disclose any roles that American citizens or organizations may have played in the assassination, including any individual who has previously worked as an informant for the United States.

In closing, we humbly request that your administration allow the people of Haiti to determine their own political destiny and withdraw support from the de facto government; assist actors working to investigate the assassination and to address insecurity and other institutional challenges; and support free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Haiti only after security and political conditions allow, as determined by the Haitian people. Policies coming out of Washington must be consistent with the will of the Haitian people, democratic ideals, and the rule of law.

Sincerely,

_________________________ Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) Member of Congress

_________________________ Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) Member of Congress

_________________________ Val Demings (FL-10)
Member of Congress

_________________________ Dwight Evans (PA-3)
Member of Congress

_________________________ Andy Levin (MI-9)
Member of Congress

_________________________ Yvette Clarke (NY-9)
Member of Congress

_________________________ Mondaire Jones (NY-17) Member of Congress

______________________ Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) Member of Congress

2

CC:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols

Haiti wants Jamaica to turn over second suspect in president’s assassination

Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

Updated March 15, 2022 2:20 PM

Haiti wants a former politician accused in the brazen assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last July to be returned to the country from Jamaica.

The country’s foreign minister has sent an official request to Jamaica seeking the return of former senator John Joël Joseph, a high-ranking Haitian government source confirmed to the Miami Herald.

In Jamaica, Joseph is charged with illegal entry after he, his wife and two sons were arrested in January in rural St. Elizabeth parish. It is unclear if Haitian authorities are requesting Joseph’s deportation or extradition. Haiti and Jamaica do not share an extradition agreement. Joseph, who also goes by the name Joseph Joël John, is a Haitian citizen. He ended up in Jamaica after spending months in hiding after the July 7, 2021, assassination of Moïse at his private residence.

The late president, whose mandate officially ended last month according to the international community’s timetable, was shot 12 times and his wife was seriously injured after an alleged hit squad of former Colombian military stormed his home. They were joined by two Haitian Americans and current and former Haiti National Police officers.

Joseph is considered a key suspect in the case who can shed light on the motive behind Moïse’s slaying and why the mission changed from kidnapping and arresting the president to killing him. Several other suspects interviewed by both Haitian and U.S. investigators have said the initial plan was to arrest the president, who had been accused by opponents of remaining in office beyond his term. 

Haitian police say Joseph was in contact with several of the suspects in the assassination plot and attended meetings about the attack. A 124-page Haiti National Police investigative report obtained by the Herald also accused him of paying for the rental vehicles that were to be used in the assassination.

Documents seeking Joseph’s return to Haiti were sent to Jamaica on March 10, the same day that Joseph appeared in a Kingston court, where a judge put off a decision on his fate.

“Mr. John Joël Joseph is considered a fugitive from justice and is suspected of being an accessory to a crime,” the Haiti official said. “All of this has been clearly stated in the correspondence.”

Jamaica Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck did not respond to an inquiry from the Herald about the request.

The investigation of Moïse’s murder has stalled in Haiti, where the first investigative judge resigned from the case before even starting, the second had it taken from him after he was accused of corruption and failed to meet a legal deadline to bring formal charges, and a third turned down a request to take over the investigation due to safety concerns.

Earlier this month a fourth investigative judge, Merlan Belabre, was assigned to the case. But in a handwritten press release dated Saturday, Belabre expressed concerns about his safety, saying that 10 days after his naming no effort had been made to ensure his and his family’s security. 

“The executive power, the superior council of the judicial power have delivered me and my family to the assassins and kidnappers,” he said in the note, which several sources confirmed was written by him. 

The little progress there has been in the investigation has occurred in the U.S. Two suspects are currently in custody when they voluntarily came to the U.S. after being detained outside of Haiti. A Colombian former soldier, Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, was picked up by U.S. federal agents in Panama on Jan. 3 during the process of being deported to Colombia by Jamaica.

The second suspect, Rodolphe Jaar, a convicted drug trafficker, was escorted by U.S. federal agents to Miami last month after being detained in the Dominican Republic. Both are believed to be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors, who in a criminal complaint have accused both of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside of the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing that such support would be used to carry out a plot to kill the Haitian president.

An American national of Haitian origin arrested at Toussaint Louverture Airport

Agents of the National Police of Haiti apprehended this Saturday, (March 19^th) at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, an American national of Haitian origin. This is Jean-Baptiste Jean Appolon who had a 9 mm caliber pistol in his possession, informs the PNH.

Port-au-Prince, March 19, 2022.- Agents of the Brigade for the Fight Against Narcotics Trafficking (BLTS), a specialized unit of the National Police of Haiti, proceeded to the arrest this Saturday at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, of an American citizen of Haitian origin.

This is Jean-Baptiste Jean Appolon. The latter had in his possession a 9 mm caliber pistol, informs the PNH.
He was about to board a flight to New York.

The pistol he had in his possession is a Glock and serial BGAB363, police said.

For the moment, the defendant is kept in sight at the DCPJ (Central Directorate of the Judicial Police) pending his transfer to the judicial authorities after a hearing.

Jean Allens Macajoux

HAITI SECURITY

Vant Bèf Info 

 Police officer Davickson Désir and three other people killed Friday in Carrefour. Death yesterday Friday (March 18^th) in Carrefour, of the police officer Davickson Désir and three other individuals in different circumstances.

Carrefour, March 19, 2022. At least four gunshot deaths were recorded for Friday alone in Carrefour.
It is a policeman, Davickson Désir, and three other individuals. Two of the other victims would be members of a gang operating in Martissant, we learned.
These individuals were shot at Mon Repos 36, not far from the tribunal de paix.

MURDER OF POLICE OFFICER

Vant Bèf Info

As part of the investigation into the assassination of police officer Henry Marc Mollians, the national police apprehend the named Kecheler Pierre Louis.

Canaan, March 19, 2022. The National Police of Haiti arrested this Saturday, one of the alleged assassins of police officer Henry Marc Mollians.

He responds to the name of Kecheler Pierre Louis.

Born on November 15, 1994 in Moron, this individual is a member of the gang operating in the locality of Canaan, commune of Croix-des-Bouquets.

Apart from this assassination, the police accuse him of involvement in the armed attacks perpetrated against the Canaan police station.

Armed individuals had murdered the policeman last week after breaking into his house in Canaan.

The victim was assigned to the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ).

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 15 mars 2022

 Haitian films slated to show at Miami Film Festival

BY THE HAITIAN TIMES MAR. 07, 2022

The Haitian Times

“Parsley” is set in the midst of the 1937 massacre that took place on the Haitian-Dominican border. Photo Credit:  Timothy K Fitzgerald/Visit Films

MIAMI — Several Haitian movies are slated for screenings during the 39th annual Miami Film Festival that kicked off last Friday showcasing dozens of films, viewable both in-person and virtually. 

“Parsley,” directed by Dominican director José María Cabral, explores the relationship between a Haitian woman and her Dominican husband in the midst of the 1937 massacre called “El Corte,” or “the cutting,” when thousands of Haitians along the border were slaughtered by Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina. 

“I just wanted to have a human story where people could identify in a way and see how decisions made by a dictatorship really affected communities, affected families, affected human beings independently of where they are from,” saidCabral in an interview with The Miami Herald.

“Parsley” is showing on the evening of Mar. 7 and will be available to stream online the following day. 

On Mar. 8, the festival will feature “Madame Pipi,” a documentary by director Rachelle Salnave that looks at the lives of Haitian women bathroom attendants in Miami’s nightclubs. 

“Freda,” a film by Jessica Généus that garnered Oscar nomination buzz last year, will show in-person on Mar. 12. Généus will participate in a Q&A following the showing.

Looking at the life of a university student in the midst of a political tumult, Freda has garnered praise from Francis Ford Coppola and is Haiti’s official selection for the upcoming Academy Awards.

ARRIVAL OF HAITIAN BOATS TO SOUTH FLORIDA

Recent arrivals of hundreds of Haitians in the Keys is a sign of new trafficking routes

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES AND DAVID GOODHUE UPDATED MARCH 11, 2022 3:50 PM

The arrival of nearly 700 Haitians in a string of dramatic migrant landings near an exclusive wealthy enclave in the Upper Florida Keys over the past four months suggests that those behind the rise in Haitian boat migration are getting bolder, and using new trafficking routes, incouding the northern coast of Cuba, to get to the United States.

The arrival of nearly 700 Haitians in a string of dramatic migrant landings near an exclusive wealthy enclave in the Upper Florida Keys over the past four months suggests that those behind the rise in Haitian boat migration are getting bolder, and using new trafficking routes to get to the United States. While smugglers are still ferrying desperate Haitians in overloaded, battered sailboats from Haiti, the clandestine voyages have become much better organized and sophisticated, U.S. and Haitian authorities say. The boats are now bigger and even engine-powered as opposed to sail, and smugglers are employing GPS technology and other methods to evade detection by the U.S. Coast Guard. “They are taking the routes that will lead them to Key West and elsewhere via areas with less surveillance by the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Eric Prévost Junior, the director general of Haiti’s Maritime and Navigation Service. “That’s the tendency; they are changing routes from time to time, because there are routes they take that always lead to interception by the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Since November, four overloaded boats crammed with Haitians fleeing desperate conditions in Haiti have ended up near the ultra exclusive Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo, located at the end of a remote two-lane highway that was made famous by drug traffickers in the 1970s and ‘80s. The most recent landing involved 356 Haitians, whose battered wooden freighter stopped just 200 yards from the shoreline of the resort Sunday after running aground. As the boat tilted on its side, 158 migrants jumped into the ocean and swam to the shore, their rush to freedom captured on video. Another 198 who remained aboard the boat were later transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard cutter for repatriation to Haiti.

Two days earlier, another overloaded sailboat, this one jam-packed with 123 Haitians, was stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard about 10 miles off Anguilla Cay, a Bahamian island just north of Cuba. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Benjamin Golightly of District 7, which oversees Florida and Puerto Rico, would not say whether Haitian migrants trying to illegally enter the U.S. by sea are taking new routes, citing not wanting to disclose Coast Guard “patrol patterns.” But anecdotal evidence and interviews with those monitoring the recent uptick suggests that boats are using the coastlines and territorial waters of Cuba to reach the Keys, which are located just 90 miles north of the communist island. Last fall, after several Haitians arrived in the eastern and central provinces of Cuba, the country’s foreign ministry confirmed the arrival of an unspecified number of Haitians via boat in a bid to reach the U.S. By the end of last year, Cuba had repatriated 1,362 Haitians, according to the International Office for Migration, the U.N. agency tasked with receiving returning migrants. But even as some boats carrying Haitians are interdicted by the Cubans, there are also reports of them being helped in their journey.

This week, after a group of Haitian migrants were picked up in Cabo Rojo, a town in the southwest corner of Puerto Rico, a local newspaper reported that the migrants had reportedly left from the quake-ravaged city of Jérémie along the southwest peninsula of Haiti. The waters of the Caribbean reportedly took them toward Cuba where another boat found them and gave them food and gas, and redirected them to Puerto Rico. Golightly declined to provide specifics on how Cuba handles Haitian boats passing through its waters, other than to say each case is unique. “We make every attempt to work with our partners, both nationally and internationally to stop them at the point of origin,” he said, adding that the U.S. Coast Guard is always on regular patrols throughout the straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the Windward and Mona passages and areas north of Cuba. Still, in November when the first of the boatloads arrived, some of the 63 Haitians said they had been at sea for three weeks. “Our focus remains on trying to safely stop those voyages or working with anyone who is in a position to potentially safely stop those voyages to where we don’t have vessels capsizing and potentially hundreds of people lost at sea,” Golightly said.

FLEEING GANG VIOLENCE

Haitian émigré Jean-Pierre, who arrived in the U.S. five years ago, said his wife and three young children, ages 9, 6, and 4, were among the 123 people the Coast Guard stopped off Anguilla Cay last week. They were packed on the deck of the wooden vessel, which a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft filmed bobbing up and down in the high seas. “When I see that video, I cried,” said Jean-Pierre, who did not want to give his full name, nor that of his wife, fearing for his family’s safety.

He spoke to the Miami Herald after confirming with Bahamian authorities that his family was in custody. He said Bahamian authorities would not let him speak to his wife and were planning to send them back to Haiti. “They spent five days at sea, and now they’re going to go back,” he said. “Psychologically, they’re affected. We don’t know if there’s anything we can do.” Over the past five months, the U.S. Coast Guard has interdicted 1,152 Haitians trying to reach Florida and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The surge comes after years of negligible sea migration by Haitians, who over the last decade had chosen the dangerous jungles of South America and tenuous land borders of Central America to try to reach the U.S. But all that changed after last July’s assassination of the country’s president, Jovenel Moïse, and the deadly magnitude 7.2 earthquake that followed five weeks later in the country’s southern peninsula. Both helped fueled an increase in migration, along with an escalation in gang-related violence and kidnappings. Combined with deepening political and economic crises, Haitians are being pushed to take unimaginable risks, a study by IOM found.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

TALK SHOW OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM OF HAITI WITH HAITIAN DOCTORS AND HAITIAN NURSE FROM 5 COUNTRIES

https://youtu.be/LsbI_s6vu9U

   The staff of Radio Telé Solidarité continues to do everything that depends on them to have a close relationship with the young people and professionals of the Haitian community of the diaspora and Haiti. Sr. Annecie Audate FMA, one the of religious stars of the Congregation of Salesian Sisters in the Eternal City and General Director of VIDES International despite her multiple obligations, has agreed to conduct a program for us once a month on Radio Telé Solidarité. The staff of Radio Telé Solidarité is very grateful to Sr. Audate. Allow me to paraphrase Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) who wrote: "Gratitude is the memory of the heart". 

    For this talk show we had: Argentina: Dr. Egzer Prophete, Dr. Mackendy Oge and Dr. Jehu Joseph, Brazil: Dr. Louis Hercule Jr. Thymogene, United States: Dr. Gabrielle Bien Aimé, Mrs. Jeannette Jean Pierre RC and Mr. Kevin Borgella, Haiti: Dr. Ralph Papouche Desmard and Dominican Republic Dr. Gerome Claff Kelly and Sr. Annecie Audate FMA directed this program.

     In the first part of the program the panelists introduced themselves and after Sr. Annecie made a presentation on the International Day of the Sick inaugurated by Blessed Pope John Paul II almost 3o years ago. Each patient is a unique person with their weaknesses and limitations. Compassion towards the sick has motivated several members of the Christian Community to found several hospitals to welcome the sick. Sr. Annecie focused on the war in Ukraine and the cases of abortions that are happening around the world, these innocent people who are sometimes murdered after 6 months in their mother's womb because they cannot speak or defend themselves. Sr. Annecie took the opportunity to ask this question to the panelists: What are the challenges of Haiti's health system?

      Dr. Gehu Joseph who studied medicine in the Dominican Republic and who practices his profession in Argentina was the first to intervene. He insisted a lot on security and education to improve the health system of Haiti. I mentioned that doctors have no back up or support in Haiti What is the salary of a doctor in Haiti? Factory workers in North America can earn better wages than many doctors in Haiti.

      Dr. Gabrielle Bien Aimé focused on social inequalities in Haiti, especially in terms of health care. The peasants of the most remote places in Haiti do not have access to health care. She insisted a lot on the health care given in the public hospitals of Haiti where the patients are obliged to buy gloves, bandages for their care. Do the doctors of Haiti still have the best medical equipment  to take care of the patients of Haiti? How can we structure Haiti's health system?

       Several of them spoke about the problem of insecurity that the doctors of Haiti face in the exercise of their profession at the time when I write this text there are at least 3 Haitian doctors who are knocked in their Clinic and the kidnappers always ask for big money for their release. They went on to reminisce with sadness despite their great love for their homeland Haiti they are not yet ready to return. Even in the Dominican Republic, Haitian doctors are more numerous than those of Haiti

     Sr. Annecie encouraged the doctors to return, she let them know that the Republic of Port-au-Prince (Port aux Crimes) is not Haiti and they will be welcomed by the people of Haiti if they are ready to practice their profession in the provinces of Haiti. She mentioned the name of her aunt Marie Abdon (Donne) Audate who is 93 years old and who practiced the profession of Midwife for nearly 70 years in her hometown of Carice in the North East Department of Haiti. Aunt Donne is among the famous people of Carice and she thanked the Lord who allowed her during her career as a Wise Woman to save the babies and her mother. To listen to this show click on the link: https://youtu.be/LsbI_s6vu9U

Brother Tob

Rally in Front of the Dania Beach Border Patrol Station to Stop The Deportation of Haitians

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Family Action Network Movement

Dania Beach Border Patrol Station

1800 NE 7th AVE, Dania Beach, FL 33004

 Family Action Network Movement (FANM) Rallies in Front of the Dania Beach Border Patrol Station Against All Haitian Refugees Expulsions 

 WHAT: Family Action Network Movement (FANM), Community Leaders, Stakeholders, Immigration Advocates, and impacted community members Strongly Urge the Biden Administration to Stop All Deportations!

WHO: Family Action Network Movement (FANM), Community Leaders/Stakeholder, Immigration Advocates and impacted community members

WHEN: Saturday, March 12, 2022

 TIME: 4:00 PM ET

WHERE:  Dania Beach Border Patrol Station, 1800 NW 7th AVE Dania Beach, FL 33004

 MIAMI, FL----  On March 6, 2022, a group of 300  Haitian refugees, including women and children were detained by U.S. authorities after arriving ashore in Key Largo. This follows the arrival of two previous large groups traveling from Haiti to the United States this past week – 179 people were detained on Sunday, February 27 , stopped just off of the Bahamian island of Andros, and 123 people were detained on Friday, March 4th.  The arrival of these refugees does not come as a surprise, given the ongoing turmoil in Haiti, amidst widespread insecurity, kidnapping, state sponsored killings, gender based violence and other atrocious acts against activists, journalists, workers  compounded by natural disasters and challenges stemming from the COVID 19 pandemic.  Family Action Network Movement (FANM) joins elected officials, community, faith, and business  leaders to urge the Biden Administration to release all of the refugees including women and children in their own recognizance and not deport them to Haiti where their lives might be in danger. 

Family Action Network Movement (FANM)  is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to the social, economic, financial and political empowerment of low to moderate-income families.

###

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 9 mars 2022

 
A must read. The opinion of a man who has defended US interest all his life !

 How the Ukraine crisis endsBy Henry Kissinger
PUBLIC discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going? In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support, all of which we did not know how to end and from three of which we withdrew unilaterally. The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins.

Far too often the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West. But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side’s outpost against the other – it should function as a bridge between them.

Russia must accept that to try to force Ukraine into a satellite status, and thereby move Russia’s borders again, would doom Moscow to repeat its history of self-fulfilling cycles of reciprocal pressures with Europe and the United States.

The West must understand that, to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country. Russian history began in what was called Kievan-Rus. The Russian religion spread from there. Ukraine has been part of Russia for centuries, and their histories were intertwined before then. Some of the most important battles for Russian freedom, starting with the Battle of Poltava in 1709, were fought on Ukrainian soil. 

The Black Sea Fleet – Russia’s means of projecting power in the Mediterranean – is based by long-term lease in Sevastopol, in Crimea. Even such famed dissidents as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Joseph Brodsky insisted that Ukraine was an integral part of Russian history and, indeed, of Russia.

The European Union must recognize that its bureaucratic dilatoriness and subordination of the strategic element to domestic politics in negotiating Ukraine’s relationship to Europe contributed to turning a negotiation into a crisis. Foreign policy is the art of establishing priorities.
The Ukrainians are the decisive element. They live in a country with a complex history and a polyglot composition. 

The Western part was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1939, when Stalin and Hitler divided up the spoils. Crimea, 60 per cent of whose population is Russian, became part of Ukraine only in 1954 , when Nikita Khrushchev, a Ukrainian by birth, awarded it as part of the 300th-year celebration of a Russian agreement with the Cossacks. The West is largely Catholic; the East largely Russian Orthodox. The West speaks Ukrainian; the East speaks mostly Russian. 

Any attempt by one wing of Ukraine to dominate the other – as has been the pattern – would lead eventually to civil war or breakup. To treat Ukraine as part of an East-West confrontation would scuttle for decades any prospect to bring Russia and the West – especially Russia and Europe – into a cooperative international system.

Ukraine has been independent for only 23 years; it had previously been under some kind of foreign rule since the 14th century. Not surprisingly, its leaders have not learned the art of compromise, even less of historical perspective. 

The politics of post-independence Ukraine clearly demonstrates that the root of the problem lies in efforts by Ukrainian politicians to impose their will on recalcitrant parts of the country, first by one faction, then by the other. 

That is the essence of the conflict between Viktor Yanu­kovych and his principal political rival, Yulia Tymo­shenko. They represent the two wings of Ukraine and have not been willing to share power. A wise U.S. policy toward Ukraine would seek a way for the two parts of the country to cooperate with each other. We should seek reconciliation, not the domination of a faction.

Russia and the West, and least of all the various factions in Ukraine, have not acted on this principle. Each has made the situation worse. Russia would not be able to impose a military solution without isolating itself at a time when many of its borders are already precarious. For the West, the demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy; it is an alibi for the absence of one.Putin should come to realize that, whatever his grievances, a policy of military impositions would produce another Cold War. For its part, the United States needs to avoid treating Russia as an aberrant to be patiently taught rules of conduct established by Washington. Putin is a serious strategist – on the premises of Russian history. Understanding U.S. values and psychology are not his strong suits. Nor has understanding Russian history and psychology been a strong point of U.S. policymakers.

Leaders of all sides should return to examining outcomes, not compete in posturing. Here is my notion of an outcome compatible with the values and security interests of all sides:

• 
  Ukraine should have the right to choose freely its economic and political associations, including with Europe.
• 
  Ukraine should not join NATO, a position I took seven years ago, when it last came up.
• 
  Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country. Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.
• 
  It is incompatible with the rules of the existing world order for Russia to annex Crimea. But it should be possible to put Crimea’s relationship to Ukraine on a less fraught basis. To that end, Russia would recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea. Ukraine should reinforce Crimea’s autonomy in elections held in the presence of international observers. The process would include removing any ambiguities about the status of the Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol.

These are principles, not prescriptions. People familiar with the region will know that not all of them will be palatable to all parties. The test is not absolute satisfaction but balanced dissatisfaction. If some solution based on these or comparable elements is not achieved, the drift toward confrontation will accelerate. The time for that will come soon enough.

• 
  Kissinger was secretary of state from 1973 to 1977. The article was first published in Washington Post.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (MARCH 6^TH, 2022) 

Dt 26: 4-10; Ps 91; Rom 10: 8-13; Lk 4: 1-13 

Last Wednesday we began the season of Lent in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. The word Lent comes from an old English word which means springtime. As nature gears itself for harvest time, the Church calls us to ready ourselves for a season of spiritual harvest: Easter.

The recall of Jesus’ temptations in the desert dominates the scene of this 1st Sunday of Lent. These temptations are typical. Jesus is hungry after spending forty days of fasting. Satan lures him to change a stone into bread. Do we get it? Hunger is an experience of the flesh. People tend to do anything to satisfy the demands of the flesh. Jesus in rebuking the tempter teaches us that “Man does not live of bread alone.” Instead of being enslaved to the flesh, as is frequently the case, we must learn to be intent on the “things from heaven”. God’s words is much more precious than the satisfaction provided by bread. Wake up Christian! Hunger for spiritual goods!

“God alone shall you adore” is Jesus’ response to the 2nd temptation. Bow down and adore and I’ll give you power and all kinds of richness. Did it ever occur to you that many people give to the values of the world an allegiance that is due to God alone? There are new forms of idolatry. Tell me which god you worship and I will tell you who you are! Be careful!

“Don’t put God to the test” is the third answer to the third temptation: Easy success and glory. People commit all forms of crimes for the sake of money, power, pride and illicit pleasures. Let us use these forty days of Lent to strip from our hearts all evil desires and dispose our souls to a spring time of spiritual gifts! 

BIDEN STATE OT THE UNION ADDRESS

Five points, reactions most relevant for Haitians from Biden’s SOTU address

BY THE HAITIAN TIMES MAR. 03, 2022

The Haitian Times

Biden delivers his first State of the Union address amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Jabin Botsford, Pool via AP]

NEW YORK — President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of the Unionaddress March 1, and gained support for his key points about the Russo-Ukrainian war. Biden also touched on a variety of issues and concerns affecting the American people, including immigration, inflation and COVID — issues that are at the forefront for many Haitian families.

Below are some of the subjects most relevant to Haitian-Americans, and reactions related to those topics from others.

Immigration: “If we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure the border and fix the immigration system. At our border, we’ve installed new technology like cutting-edge scanners to better detect drug smuggling.”

Tens of thousands of Haitian refugees were deported last year by the Biden administration at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Reaction: “The thousands of people who tried to seek legal refuge on our southern border, how Haitian refugees have been treated by the United States, not just in past administrations, but frankly this one, is not right,” saidCongressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “We really need to make sure that when we talk about accepting refugees, that we are meaning it for everybody, no matter where you come from.” 

Inflation: “With all the bright spots in our economy, record job growth and higher wages, too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills …that’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”

Locally-owned Haitian businesses, such as restaurants in New York, have been bearing the brunt of inflation since last year. 

Reaction: “The biggest problem for President Biden is that there’s no good way to message inflation,” said Jason Furman, a White House economic official under the Obama administration. “There’s not a lot he can do about it, but he can’t get up there and say ‘The only solution here is patience and the Federal Reserve.’”

COVID-19: “We must prepare for new variants. If necessary, we’ll be able to deploy new vaccines within 100 days instead of many more months or years.”

Haitian enclaves, like those in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood, suffered disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 infections. 

Reaction: “Under POTUS’ leadership, hundreds of millions of Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 — it saved lives … let’s use this moment to reset,” tweeted California Congressperson Eric Swalwell. 

Health care: “The American Rescue Plan is helping millions of families on Affordable Care Act plans save $2,400 a year on their health care premiums. Let’s close the coverage gap and make those savings permanent.”  

For years, Haitian immigrants have struggled with inaccessible treatment to health care and lower rates for insurance coverage. 

Reaction: “The idea of passing some form of the bill may be alive, but it’s hanging by a thread — and the next few weeks are critical to see if lawmakers can jump-start the effort,” wrote Washington Post reporter Rachel Roubein. 

Taxes: “Nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in taxes, not a single penny.”

The household income for Black immigrants was 16% lower than the average American, with unfair tax rates disproportionately affecting their populations. 

Reaction: “On average, the top 10% of tax filers, or those earning more than $115,800, could see their after-tax income shrink if one version of Biden’s plan took effect,” according to CNN. 

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 1 mars 2022

 Haitians in Mexico

FEB. 23, 2022

The Haitian Times

A periodic update by The Haitian Times

Many Haitians are settling in Mexico as they are finding employment.

Haitians receive largest share of humanitarian visas in Mexico

MEXICO — Mexico’s National Institute of Migration granted 41,409 humanitarian visas to Haitians in 2021, making Haitians the largest group among many nationalities to receive that type of entry document. A recent report by Mexico’s Migration Policy Department, or Unidad de Política Migratoria, provides the statistics.

The visa, called Visitors Permit due to Humanitarian Concerns, or Tarjetas de Visitantes por Razones Humanitarias, allows Haitians to apply for jobs and housing in Mexico for a one-year period. In December 2021 alone, the report shows, about 70% of these visas were granted.

The increase in humanitarian visas took place as Mexico’s National Migration Institute was relocating Haitians from Tapachula, Chiapas to other cities. 

A Dec. 5, 2021 Facebook post from the Haitian embassy in Mexico shared information on the relocation program.

“Congratulations to INAMI (Instituto Nacional de Migracion) and the Consulate of Haiti in Tapachula who were able to get 65 buses out of Tapachula on Saturday December 4, 2021 to other cities for a total of 2,951 Haitians. Good work,” read the post.

Tapachula, bordering Guatemala in the south of Mexico, is the main entry point for Haitians arriving from Chile and Brazil, and where most requests for asylum are made. 

Because Mexican migration law says asylum seekers must complete the asylum applications in the department where their initial requests were made, tens of thousands of Haitians had been waiting for months in Tapachula.

The visa will allow Haitian asylum seekers to begin settling throughout Mexico, as many have decided to stay in the country after abandoning plans to reach the United States.

Haitians slowly joining formal labor force in Mexicali, Mexico

MEXICALI — About 170 Haitians are now employed at businesses that are part of Coparmex Mexicali, an advocacy and support group comprising local businesses, despite the slow pace of hiring of immigrants, reported El Imparcial. 

Most of the jobs are in the textile industry, which has the greatest number of openings, Octavio Sandoval López, president of Coparmex Mexicali, told El Imparcial. 

Sandoval López said hiring had been stagnant due to the difficulty of getting an appointment with the Tax Administration Service and because many Haitians don’t have a physical address in the city. 

To date, local authorities have granted 200 appointments to Haitians to initiate the process of getting a Tax ID so they can seek employment.

Haitians, including 14 pregnant, moved from shelter to house ‘Stay in México’ refugees

MEXICALI — A group of 81 Haitians were relocated from a shelter in División del Norte, Mexicali, to make room for a group of Mexicans who are part of the ‘Stay in México’ program, reported Pregoreno de Baja California.

The United States government’s ‘Stay in Mexico’ program, officially known as Migrant Protocols Program, allows for asylum seekers who arrive in the U.S. by land to be returned to Mexico to wait while their immigration case is processed in the U.S.
The Haitians, which included 14 pregnant women, were relocated to various shelters in Mexicali during the weekend of Feb. 11, according to the Pregorenoreport.

Haitian children allowed to attend school in Nuevo León

NUEVO LEÓN, Mexico — The Secretary of Education of Nuevo León, México, declared that Haitian children will receive the support necessary to continue their education. That support will include making Haitian Creole teachers available in the schools, Telediario reported on Feb. 15.

Dr. Paul Farmer, global health giant, dies at 62

 (CNN) — Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician who championed global health and sought to bring modern medical science to those most in need around the world, died unexpectedly in his sleep in Rwanda on Monday, according to Partners in Health, the nonprofit organization he founded. He was 62.

Farmer, who was also an infectious disease specialist and a medical anthropologist, is survived by his wife, Didi Bertrand Farmer, and three children.

Partners in Health CEO Dr. Sheila Davis said in a statement, "Paul Farmer's loss is devastating, but his vision for the world will live on through Partners in Health. Paul taught all those around him the power of accompaniment, love for one another, and solidarity. Our deepest sympathies are with his wife and three children."

Partners in Health, founded in 1987, had two goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.

In addition to the work he did as co-founder and chief strategist of Partners in Health, Farmer was chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He was a prolific writer and authored numerous books, including "Partner to the Poor."

The global medical community responded in shock and dismay to news of Farmer's death.

"We grieve," tweeted Kimberlyn Leary, senior vice president at the Urban Institute. "A giant of a person for whom no other person was less."

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Twitter, "I am devastated by the loss of Paul Farmer -- a friend, mentor, and unparalleled visionary for global public health. Countless people are alive because of his investment in public health infrastructure, in direct care delivery, and in selflessly training other to do the same."

Farmer's life's work was the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings.

In 2017, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta visited Haiti to tour and work in University Hospital, the 300-bed, state-of-the-art facility that Partners in Health built in Mirebalais.

The hospital had intensive care units for adults and infants, a emergency ward and an oncology unit for cancer patients. 

Gupta noted that Farmer functioned under the belief that the "location and circumstances of your birth should never dictate that quality of your care."

Though Partners in Health was active around the world, Farmer and his organization continued to be mindful of health care needs closer to home, too.

Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter 

During the pandemic, Farmer recognized that the US public health system didn't have enough workers to do effective contact tracing to stop the spread of Covid-19. He partnered with the state of Massachusetts to bolster its work force and expanded to bring contact tracing to the Navajo Nation and Mexico.

"Paul was an inspiration, one of the people who drew me (and many others) to global health. My thoughts are with this his family who must be reeling at this unexpected and tragic event," wrote Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, on Twitter.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta contributed to this report.

Haiti hikes minimum wage by up to 54% following worker protests

ReutersFebruary 21, 20224:50 PM EST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Haiti's government on Monday hiked the minimum wage by as much as 54% following weeks of demonstrations by garment workers who say their wages are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living.

The office of Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Twitter posted a sliding scale of wage hikes that vary by economic activity, with the greatest increase going to workers in areas such as the electricity and telecommunications industries.

Employees in the clothing manufacturing sector, which export finished products to U.S. retailers, received a 37% increase. That takes their wages to just under $7.50 per day, compared with the $15 per day that union leaders had demanded.

For decades, Haiti has promoted itself as a center for clothing manufacturing thanks to low wages and proximity to U.S. markets.

Workers over the years have complained that pay is too low to cover basic goods, which are often more expensive than in other countries due to weak infrastructure and gang violence.

A group of U.S. members of Congress in November said they were asking the heads of 62 American companies that import garments from Haiti for information on "protections in place for workers employed by their companies and suppliers."

Haitian officials have in the past said that increasing wages by too much would leave the garment industries at risk of losing competitiveness with respect to other countries such as the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Reporting by Gessika Thomas, writing by Brian Ellsworth; editing by Grant McCool

Haiti agrees to increase minimum wage

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Feb 21, CMC – Haiti has announced an increase in the minimum wage less than a week after police used teargas to disperse textile workers who had taken to the streets to demand better pay.

The workers were demanding a 300 per cent increase in the minimum wage, which is now 500 Gourdes per eight-hour working day, in addition to other social benefits such as transport and food subsidies.

The Council of Ministers met on Sunday and agreed to increase the minimum wage for different categories of workers effective Monday.

According to the decree published in the Official Journal “Le Moniteur” workers in the private electricity production; financial institutions, telecommunications; import-export trade; supermarkets; jewellery stores; art galleries; furniture, furniture and appliance stores; doctor's office and polyclinics, will receive an 54 per cent increase moving their minimum wage from 500 to 770 Gourdes.

The council said workers in the buildings and public works (BTP); truck and heavy machinery rental companies; construction material rental companies; construction material transport companies; hardware stores; other financial institutions such as cooperatives, credit unions will receive a 39. 7 per cent increase with their new wages being 615 Gourdes, up from 440 Gourdes.

Another segment of workers who received 385 Gourdes per eight-hour day, will now receive 540 Gourdes and these workers are those in the restaurants; agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishing; agricultural products processing industry and retail trade.

The decree had also announced salary increases 37 to 40 per cent for workers whose daily pay ranges from 250to 440 Gourdes.

Last week, Senate President, Joseph Lambert, called for an independent investigation into the circumstances that led to cops using teargas to break up a demonstration by textile workers who had been seeking an increase in wages.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. or Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..