HIV-Infected Haitian Refugees Sent to U.S. From Guantanamo

Twenty Haitians, 16 of them infected with the AIDS virus, were flown to the United States on Monday from the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo, Cuba.

It was the first such group of would-be refugees to arrive since U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. ruled March 26 that the government had to either provide medical treatment for those with the AIDS virus or send them where they could be treated.

The judge said government officials had admitted that Haitians weakened by AIDS were not receiving adequate medical treatment at Guantanamo. Some individual Haitians had been flown here earlier for medical treatment.

Four of the 20 Haitians, among thousands who have fled the island nation, are relatives of those with the AIDS virus, officials said.

Ron Tomalis, spokesman for the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service in Washington, said he did not have any information on the Haitians’ medical condition Monday. He said more were expected to arrive later this week.

Tomalis said 12 of Monday’s arrivals are expected to remain in Florida and the other eight will go to the New York City area.

They will be allowed to pursue asylum claims to seek permanent status, officials said.

The Clinton Administration said last week that 36 Haitian refugees with the AIDS virus would be brought to the United States. The announcement indicated that those being brought here had low immune-cell counts.

Officials said they would continue to detain at Guantanamo the balance of 250 Haitians who either tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or are close relatives of the HIV-positive detainees.

Both houses of Congress recently endorsed measures that would ban the immigration of AIDS-infected people, including refugees.