Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) – Less than 15 days out from the second round of elections on 20 March, the two presidential candidates are intensifying their political campaign, both also speaking about the problems of immigration. About a third of the Haitian people (more than four of the ten million inhabitants) it is located in the diaspora. Surrounding the immigration issue are two fundamental problems: Haitian-Dominican relations and the deportation of Haitians by the U.S. authorities.
A presidential candidate, the former first lady Mirlande Manigat, visited Canada last week and then the United States, where she denounced the recent decision by the U.S. Government to resume deportations of Haitians to their country of origin, who had been detained because of the earthquake on 12 January, 2010. The candidate promised, if elected President, to ask the Administration of Barack Obama for a moratorium on the deportation of Haitians, mostly ex-offenders who are, according to her, “an additional burden for the country”.
For his part, the other presidential candidate, the popular singer Michel Martelly, visited the United States and then the Dominican Republic, where he met with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, to “examine the possibility of working with the Dominican government to improve relations between the two island countries.” (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 10/03/2011)
