Haitians continue to be deported at a rapid rate from the country at which they arrived seeking refuge and safety. From November through the end of January, ICE deported as many as 2000 non-criminal Haitians who had presented themselves at Mexico-US border crossings since last September 22. The deportations pose many problems; detained Haitians lack access to legal counsel and Creole translators, creating miscommunications and limited opportunity for individuals to claim their rights. Additionally, Haiti is still extremely unstable in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, a cholera epidemic and a devastating 2010 earthquake. The number of Haitians crossing the Mexican border is increasing daily, subjecting even more vulnerable individuals to detention, procedural abuses and unstable futures.
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U.S. accelerates deportation of Haitian migrants
Daniel González, The Arizona Republic
February 17, 2017
A detention officer handed Lemoine Denera a cardboard lunch tray. The 32-year-old migrant from Haiti took a look at the food and slid the tray away.
He hasn’t felt like eating since being locked up in a federal immigration detention center in the desert near Eloy, an hour’s drive south of Phoenix.
Because of his stomach problems, medial staff have placed him on a low-sodium, low-fat, high-fiber diet, which Denera finds unappetizing. That day he was served a slice of ham and American cheese between a hamburger bun, along with green beans, apple sauce and coleslaw.
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