Disparities in U.S. Immigration Policy toward Haiti and Cuba: A Legacy to be Continued?

• Shameful distinction between treatment of Haitians and Cubans
• U.S.-Cuba immigration strategy is emulated nowhere else in the world, while desperately needy Haitians are instantly interdicted back to their island
• State Department administers a broken policy bereft of inspired leadership
• Cuban-American lobby continues to rule the roost of U.S. policies toward Latin America
• Looking ahead: Haiti Earthquake highlights that environmental factors must gain a foothold in immigration policy
Many points of comparison exist between Haiti and Cuba, as Ruth Ellen Wasem contends in a Congressional Research Report: “Both nations have a history of repressive governments with documented human rights violations. Both countries have a history of sending asylum seekers to the United States by boats.” In spite of these similarities, several political and economic factors have spurred divergent U.S. directives in these two island nations.

The United States and Cuba have maintained a tenuous relationship since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. The Kennedy administration implemented a two-tier policy consisting of an economic embargo paired with diplomatic isolation, both of which continue to dictate U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba today. Although the U.S. has not sought to diplomatically and economically isolate Haiti in the same manner, relations between the former French colony and the U.S. have been shaped by the protection of national interests and subsequent military intervention. Haiti has been unable to achieve stability, becoming a headache in the backyard of the U.S. and, consequently, ties between the two states have been tumultuous. These contrasting histories and foreign policy approaches surpass domestic boundaries, as reflected in current U.S. immigration legislation. Ironically, the U.S. holds refugees escaping from communist Cuba to more lenient standards than any other foreign nationals. Migrants facing at least equally urgent circumstances, such as Haitians, suffer the ramifications of our broken policies. The January 12, 2010 earthquake provides an example of a pressing and devastating event calling for the Obama administration to address the needs of the increasing numbers of refugees fleeing Haiti.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associates Alice Barrett & Kelsey Cary