Envoy to Haiti resigns; furor grows at response
The resignation Thursday of the U.S. special envoy for Haiti in protest of what he called “inhumane” deportations of Haitian migrants spotlighted a widening crisis for the Biden administration, as Democratic allies turned on the White House amid scenes of pursuit and squalor that some lawmakers likened to slavery.
Daniel Foote’s blistering resignation letter accused the administration of pursuing a “deeply flawed” policy of returning Haitian migrants to their home country despite the deteriorating political and humanitarian conditions there.
“I will not be associated with the United States’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the dangers posed by armed gangs in control of daily life,” Foote wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The move appeared to catch the Biden administration by surprise, although Foote’s critique echoed the recent outcry from advocates and lawmakers over the treatment of Haitian migrants massed near Del Rio, Texas. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Foote “had ample opportunity to raise concerns about migration during his tenure. He never once did so.”
In another effort to contain the growing furor, the administration announced it was suspending all horse patrols at the Del Rio migrant camp.
Members of Congress and others have angrily rebuked the Biden administration after images circulated showing U.S. agents on horseback charging at migrants, including family groups, to block their path into the United States.
Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, is facing an array of crises, including the proliferation of powerful armed gangs, food insecurity, the spread of the coronavirus and the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in August.
The Biden administration is now preparing to nearly double the number of Haitians being deported from Texas, drawing criticism that sending thousands of cash-strapped migrants to the country is unconscionable.
At the same time, officials are releasing many of the Haitian migrants into the United States — and that, too, has attracted criticism, in this case from conservatives and Republicans. The administration has declined to say how many of the migrants are being admitted to the U.S.