Speech #1020203327

Embassy in PortauPrince. The administration justifies this action by stating that our international legal obligations under the U.N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees does not extend to persons located outside the territory of the United States. The convention and the protocol establish the basic norm of nonrefoulement. which prohibits States from expelling or returning refugees to frontiers or territories where they would be threatened on account of race. religion. nationality. or membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Although the number of Haitian boat people has diminished dramatically. the number of Haitians seeking asylum has not. The administrations policy to have all Haitians seeking asylum to report to our Embassy in PortauPrince has led to 100 applications per day. The State Department has admitted that over 20.000 Haitians who could legally migrate to the United States are stuck because the visa applications have not been processed. The most recent statistics show that of the 7.000 Haitians who have sought asylum at the U.S. Embassy in PortauPrince. only 82 have been granted admission to the United States.