>> AND ABOUT A DEVELOPING CRISIS PERHAPS IN THE >> THE ONGOING CRISIS IN HAITI
JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE,
VIOLENT GANGS CONTROL MUCH OF
THE CAPITOL AND THE COUNTRY, AND
THE ECONOMY IS REELING.
>> IN SOUTH FLORIDA HAS A DIRECT
AND PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE
DESPERATION OF HAITIANS GETTING
ON BOATS DEUPED BY SMUGGLERS
BOUND FOR FLORIDA AND POSSIBLY
FAMILY.
YET THE MAJORITY RIGHT NOW ARE
QUICKLY DEPORTED BACK TO THAT
COUNTRY IN CRISIS.
THIS WEEK SOUTH FLORIDA
CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA MCCORMACK
STEPPED UP WITH A CALL TO
ACTION.
THE CONGRESSWOMAN DUALLY
REFLECTED JOINS US LIVE,
CONGRESSWOMAN, GREAT TO HAVE YOU
ABOARD THIS MORNING.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU BACK,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
>> GOOD MORNING, THAI SO MUCH
FOR HAVING ME THIS MORNING.
>> ALL RIGHT SO LET’S TALK FIRST
ABOUT THE MIGRANTS WHO CONTINUE
TO COME FROM HAITI.
WE SAW THE BOAT, THE SAILING
SHIP THAT HAD BEEN 1200 PEOPLE
THAT ARRIVED DOWN IN THE KEY
THIS WEEK.
AND IT WAS ALMOST DISASTROUS.
THE COAST GUARD CUSTOMS AND
BORDER PATROL, LOCAL
AUTHORITIES, THANK ITS LORD
SAVED MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE.
THERE WAS ONE FATALITY PERHAPS
OUT OF ABOUT 200 PEOPLE.
BUT NOW ALL THOSE PEOPLE, IT
APPEARS HAVE BEEN REPATRIATED,
SENT BACK TO HAITI.
ARE YOU GOOD WITH THAT?
>> NOT AT ALL WHAT WE SEEING IS
WE HAVE BEEN TAKING AFFIRMATIVE
STEPS TO TRY AND STABILIZE
HAITI.
THE GANGS HAVE RISEN TO A PLACE
WHERE THEY TOOK OVER A LOT OF
THE COUNTRY, SO I’M HAPPY THAT
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AS
WELL AS CONGRESS IS FINALLY
STEPPING UP AND TRYING TO MAKE
SURE WE CAN END THE BLOCK AID OF
FUEL WHICH IT RECENTLY DID.
AND ALSO THE SANCTIONS IMPOSING
AGAINST PEOPLE WHO ARE FUNDING
THE GANGS AND THE GANG MEMBERS
THEMSELVES.
RECENTLY WE SAW SANCTIONS ON
HAITIAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
FUNDING THE GANG WHO ACTUALLY
LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES.
THAT WAS A HUGE STEP AND CANADA
LEAD THAT ACTION AND IT IS A
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE HAVE TO CUTS OFF THE PIPELINE
OF FINANCES IN MISSION
AMMUNITION, GUNS INTO INTO
HAITI.
>> WE DEAL WITHING A TOUGH
PROBLEM SENDING MIGRANT BACKS TO
HATE NI THE MIDDLE OF A DISASTER
BUT WE’RE WORKING AS HARD AS WE
CAN TO MAKE SURE WE CAN HAVE
POLICIES IN PLACE THAT ACTUALLY
HELP.
SO IF YOU NOTICE THAT TPS HAS
BEEN EXTEND FORD HAITIAN PEOPLE
WHICH SAY WIN.
BUT WE NEED A LOT MORE TO DEAL
WITH THIS ISSUE.
>> YOU KNOW, MEI MSH-- MEI
GRAITION FROM HATE SI PART OF A
LARGER CRISIS, MIGRATION FROM
ALL SORTS OF PLACE, CUBA,
CENTRAL AMERICA, UP THROUGH
MEXICO, AS YOU KNOW.
SO MANY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
CONGRESS MEN AND WOMEN HAVE BEEN
WORK ON TRYING TO MAKE REFORMS
TO IMMIGRATION IN A BIPARTISAN
WAY.
PROBABLY TO KNOW TO NO AVAIL
THAT WORKS IN A HOLISTIC WAY.
YOU HEARD YOUR COLLEAGUES IN
SOUTH FLORIDA, YOUR REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES SAY MIGRATION CAN’T
BE FIXED UNTIL THE BORDER IS
SECURE.
THERE SAY REAL PER
SPEPTION-- PERCEPTION THAT THE
BOARD CERTIFICATE OPEN.
WE WERE THERE LAST YEAR WHEN
15,000 HAITIANS WERE AT THAT
BORDER, LAWFULLY LOOKING FOR
ASYLUM, MANY OF THEM, ADULT MEN
SUMMARILY DEPORTED.
DO YOU SEE A DISCREPANCY IN
TREATMENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT
GROUPS OF MIGRANTS?
>> THERE DEFINITELY IS A
DISCREPANCY AND WE HAVE BEEN,
WORKING TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND I THINK A LOT OF THE
REPUBLICAN TACKING POINTS INDING
THE BORDER, CLOSING THE BOARD
BORDER.
THE BOARD CERTIFICATE CLOSED
WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR
POLITICAL ASYLUM THAT IS
ACTUALLY A REAL PROCESS,
LEGITIMATE PROCESS TO SEEK
ASYLUM WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON IS
REALLY THE HARD WORK.
THE HARD WORK IS TO TRY AND
STABILIZE THESE COUNTRIES SO WE
WON’T HAVE IMMIGRANTS, MIGRANTS
COMING TO OUR BORDERS, THAT IS
WHAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON.
RECENTLY I WAS APPOINTED TO A
BOARD OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AFTER
WE-- WE DIDN’T REALLY HAVE A
VOICE.
SO I’M HAPPY TO BE ON THAT
COMMITTEE AND SO FAR THE
COMMITTEE HAS BEEN PARTISAN.
THAT IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WE
ACTUALLY FIND PARTISAN POLITICS
IS IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
AND THAT IS GREAT FOR NEWS SOUTH
FLORIDA BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING A
LOT OF THESE POLICIES THAT
IMPACT-- IMPACT US DRICTLY.
I’M HAPPY WE CAN FOCUS ON ENDING
MIGRATION BY HELPING THE
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES AND BEING
GOOD NEIGHBORS SO WE CAN HELP
THEM BECOME STABILIZED.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, AS YOU WELL
KNOW, HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC SHARE THE ISLAND OF
HISPANIOLA AND THIS WEEK IN THE
DR, THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY
ISSUED A WARNING TO BLACK
AMERICAN VISITSERS, TOURISTS
THAT MAYBE THEY SHOULD NOT GO TO
HAITI BECAUSE THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC POLICE WERE PICKING UP
ANYBODY WHO THEY THOUGHT WAS A
HAITIAN.
THIS IS A DIRE SITUATION, THE DR
SAYS NO, THIS IS NOT SO.
WE’RE NOT MISTREATING PEOPLE.
WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
WHAT IS GOING ON THERE.
>> EXACTLY WHAT SHE MENTIONED.
WE NOTICED AND HAVE GOTTEN
SEVERAL REPORTS THAT ANY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR ANYONE FROM
AFRICAN DESCENT WHO HAS BLACK
SKIN, BASICALLY, HAS BEEN
TARGETED IN THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC SUCH AS BEING STOPPED
BYISM GRAITION FORCE, BEING
HARASSED.
SO WE HAVE SPOKEN EXCESSIVELY TO
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND THEY
ARE DENYING IT.
WE ARE GETTING VIDEOS OF PEOPLE
BEING PULLED OFF MOPEDS, PEOPLE
BEING STOPPED OFF THE STREET,
ONE OF THE COMMONALITY IS THEY
HAVE BLACK SKIN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THEY HAVE
A HISTORY OF IMPLEMENTING
POLICIES THAT RESULT IN ETHNIC
CLEANSING.
AND IN THE 1930S WE SAW
THE-- MASSACRE AS A HAITIAN
AMERICAN WOMAN WHO LAS PARENTS
AND FAMILIES WHO CAME FROM
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC DURING THAT
MASSACRE T IS SO REMINISCENTS OF
THAT TIME PERIOD.
WHEN WE SEE THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC HAS A MYRIAD OF
IMMIGRANTS FROM ASIAN TO LATIN
AMERICAN, TO JUST EVERY ONE, BUT
YUS EUROPEAN, TO BE TARGETING
EVERY BLACK PERSON IN THE
COUNTRY TO THE PLACE WHERE BLACK
PEOPLE FROM ALL ACROSS THE WORLD
CAN NO LONGER FEEL COMFORTABLE
RESIDING OR EVEN BEING A TOURIST
OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, THAT
IS WHEN THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY AND CONGRESS HAVE TO
STEP UP.
AND I’M PROUD WE DID STEP UP AND
MAKE SURE WE DO NOT ALLOW MODERN
DAY ETHNIC CLEANSING TO GO ON
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS BEING SO
BLAT AND.
>> THESE SCHOOL PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT REALLY WATCHING OR HAVE A
DAY TO DAY WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF
WHAT IS HAPPENING, THE GANGS
THAT ARE CONTROLLING NOW THE
LAST, I SAW A FIGURE, 60% OF
PORT-AU-PRINCE AND THE PORTS IN
HAITI AND MAKING LIFE SO
UNBEARABLE, WHO IS FUNDING THEM
HERE.
WHO IS SENDING THEM WEAPONS.
WEAPONS ARE NOT MANUFACTURED IN
HAITI.
AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?
WHAT IS, BESIDES POWER,
OBVIOUSLY WHAT IS THE END GAME
THAT ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING
WITH SUCH CONSEQUENCE TO SOUTH
FLORIDA?
>> WELL, AT THE END OF THE
REGIME OR WHEN-- WAS KILLED OR A
AS NATURED THERE WAS A POWER
VACUUM THAT DEVELOPED IN HAITI
AND THE GANGS WERE BEING EVEN
WHEN HE WAS THERE, BUT ONCE HE
WAS ASSASSINATED THEY EXPANDED
AND TAKING OVER DIFFERENT PARTS
OF HAITI.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS AS
THE GANGS WERE TAKING OVER
HAITI, THEY WERE CREATE SOG MANY
TRAVESTIES WHEN IT COMES TO
HUMAN RIGHTS, WITH RAPING WOMEN,
TAKING OVER NEIGHBORHOODS,
KILLING PEOPLE AND THE
GOVERNMENT REALLY WASN’T DOING
ANYTHING.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A DE FACTO
PRESIDENT IN HAITI.
AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH
DR. ARIEL TRYING TO GET SOME
RELIEF BUT IT REALLY WASN’T
WORKING AND THAT IS WHEN THE
UNITED STATES STARTING ASKED
HATE WHEY IS IT THAT YOU NEED
AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE
THEM ALONG WITH CANADA MILITARY
GRADE WEAPONS SO THE HAITIAN
POLICE REQUEST FIGHT THE GANGS,
THAT HAS BEEN WORKING.
IN THE PAST MONTH WE HAD ISSUES
IN HAITI WHERE WE HAD THE HUMAN
RIGHTS CRIES WRIS IT WAS THE
GANGS BUT ALSO A BLOCK AID WHEN
IT CAME TO GAS AND FUEL.
WE WERE ABLE TO ASSIST THE
HAITIAN MILITARY AND HAITIAN
POLICE TO END THE BLOCK AID FROM
THE GANGS AND NOW FUEL IS ABLE
TO TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY.
HOWEVER WE’RE STILL FINDING AN
ISSUE OF CHOLERA AND HAVING THE
PROPER PATHWAYS TO BRING
MEDICINE AND MEDICAL HELP INTO
THE COUNTRY.
AND THAT’S WHY MAKING SURE WE
CAN STABILIZE HATE FRI THE GANGS
BECOMES SO IMPERATIVE.
RIGHT NOW AS WE ARE LOOKING AT
THE HUMAN CRIES THAT IS
ENCAPSULES HUNGER, FOOD,
MEDICINE AND EVEN CHOLERA T IS
SO DETRIMENTAL AND THAT IS WHY
WE ARE SEEING MIGRATION.
>> HAITI IS FAILING ITS PEOPLE
IN SO MANY WAYS, AND THE IMPACT