House Votes to Give Haitians Reprieve
The House voted Thursday to suspend repatriations of Haitian refugees, but those still awaiting return are likely to be back in their strife-torn homeland before Congress completes action on the bill.
The 217-165 vote to impose a six-month moratorium on the Bush Administration’s repatriation program was generally along partisan lines, with Democrats arguing that it is necessary to protect Haitians from political persecution.
Republicans argued that the measure would only encourage more Haitians to set out on the high seas for Florida in rickety, leaky boats. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, and the Administration has threatened a presidential veto if it is enacted by Congress.
But fewer than 3,300 Haitians being sheltered at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are slated to be returned to Haiti, and repatriations could be completed before Congress finishes action.
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