As reported here on March 11, the situation in Haiti is bad and getting worse. With the announced resignation of prime minister Ariel Henry once a transitional presidential council has been named, the most powerful figure in Haiti is policeman-turned-gangleader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier. Cherizier has threatened Haitian political leaders who take part in the council. (Such threats are not to be taken lightly. Cherizier acquired his nickname by burning his enemies alive.)
Meanwhile, tension in Florida, the US state most accessible to Haiti by sea, has increased as officials there foresee a flood of Haitians fleeing the troubled country.
Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz expressed his concern on Tuesday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, where he asked DoD official Rebecca Zimmerman what the Biden administration was doing to prepare for the expected influx. Zimmerman responded:
Congressman, we’re doing a number of things to ensure that we’re keeping track of the situation, and we’re prepared at the moment. We have not yet seen large numbers of what we would characterize as maritime mass migration. But we are alert to that migration. We are we are alert to that possibility. I think you’re right, that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people. So we’ve recently approved some additional assistance that we can provide to the Coast Guard, I think that that has now fully been approved, we’ll be providing notifications, if we haven’t already provided shipboard assist.
Republican governor Ron DeSantis meanwhile on Tuesday announced preparations the state is doing, ordering additional state assets to the Keys and Florida’s southern coast:
For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti. Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state. No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.
The Democrats, for their part, are doing what they always do: trying to ensure as many third-world migrants get into this country as possible. Florida State Rep. Dotie Joseph, a Haitian native, criticized the state’s planning:
Rather than harass refugees who are literally fleeing for their lives, the state government can focus its law enforcement resources on making sure shipments from Florida are properly screened for illegal arms and munitions. We can also ensure that state agencies are not weaponized to prevent churches and other nonprofits from caring for those who are legally admitted. Economically, we can work on integrating these hard-working and taxpaying migrants into our state economy at a time where employers are squealing about workforce shortages.
Finally, also on Tuesday, the US Coast Guard repatriated 65 Haitian migrants to their homeland, following an interdiction of a migrant venture near Great Inagua, Bahamas, on March 7.
This is not over. It’s just beginning.
For more, see Homeland Security Today.