I have kept a watchful eye on developments in that nation. Just a few months ago I accompanied the distinguished gentleman from New York to Haiti. After our extensive series of meetings with Government officials. military offices. and private citizens. our delegation came to the conclusion that some of the refugees being forcibly repatriated could face repercussions from the Illegitimate government that rules Haiti. I have raised this matter with the Attorney General of the United States in the recent past. and I remain firmly convinced that it goes against the very nature of our national character to force these refugees to return to Haiti. *Since the fall. the United States Coast Guard has picked up some 30.000 Haitians. Of these. roughly 14.000 have been returned to Haiti after being screened by the INS. 8.000 have been permitted to seek political asylum in the United States. and 12.000 remain at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Some have contended that the Haitians fleeing Haiti are economic refugees. We recognize that poverty is nothing new or recent to Haiti. It is the repression by the military dictatorship currently in power that these people seek to escape.
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refugees