Argentina. zero. Our democratic friends in Panama. zero. Two nationsVenezuela and Honduras--were the only nations in this hemisphere who actually accepted Haitian refugees. with Honduras taking 250 and Venezuela taking 100. Haitis neighbors in this hemisphere. including this Government. seemed Immobilized by the situation. The sight of the boat exodus evoked an outpouring of sympathy. followed by denunciations of the military leaders. but little else. Housed in its fine marble structure at 17th and Constitution Avenue. the Organization of American States held countless meetings as the boats kept coming. I might add in this regard that since the coup. almost 16.000 Haitians have been picked up by United States ships on the high seas. When the socalled breakthrough meeting finally took place at the OAS building last weekend. it was about 5 months too late to prevent the immigration problem that we are addressing today. The boats in the water are more than a symbol of human misery. they are in indictment of the failure of the nations in this hemisphere to act collectively and decisively to achieve a workable political solution to a reign of terror in PortauPrince. I wish to state what this bill does and does not do.
Keywords matched
immigration refugees