Immigration and Haiti

There have been several major migrations from Haiti to the United States. One was during the late 1950s after Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier became president, another during the 1980s and a third during the early 1990s.

Many of the Haitians that emigrated during the first wave opposed Duvalier and were from middle and upper class families. Duvalier declared himself “president for life” in 1964 and reigned over Haiti with the help of Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (MVSN), a paramilitary force. The MVSN, or as they’re more widely known, Tonton Macoutes, terrorized Haitians who disagreed with Duvalier’s policies. Eventually people from every class began to emigrate en masse.

The second wave was during the late 1970’s to the early 1980s while Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was president. The younger Duvalier was known to be more interested in parties and continuing his lavish lifestyle than governing the nation. He did effect a series of cosmetic changes, but also continued the suppression of the Haitian people. His neglect helped to send the Haitian economy into an even faster downward spiral. By 1981, approximately 4,000 refugees per month were leaving Haiti and trying to get to Florida on anything deemed remotely seaworthy.

In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristede was elected president. Aristede, a former priest, was very popular, however his term was cut short. After seven months, the army overthrew the Aristede government. A U.S. embargo placed on the country for three years did even more damage to the economy. During the next two years, a mass exodus occurred. Approximately 35,000 Haitians were intercepted at sea. While 11,000 were brought to the U.S. and allowed to apply for political asylum, the remaining 24,000 were returned to Haiti.


People at risk of persecution in their home countries are eligible for political asylum in the U.S. However, Haitian refugees are routinely held in detention centers and returned to Haiti despite the near certainty that they will be imprisoned or worse. The U.S. government insisted that the Haitians that were migrating were seeking to better themselves economically, not fleeing for their lives. At one point, the Coast Guard was ordered to forcibly return any intercepted boats to Haiti. This is in marked contrast to the U.S.’ “wet foot, dry foot” policy with Cuba. That policy provides that any Cubans who reach U.S. soil are allowed to stay in the country.

Despite all the upheavals in Haiti, the U.S. continues to ignore the problems that force Haitians to migrate. Countless Haitians have lost their lives trying to make the perilous crossing to America, but still the U.S. government refuses to treat Haitian refugees in an even-handed manner. Haitian people have contributed just as much to this country as any other group so immigration policies, particularly the political asylum process, should at least be applied fairly.