DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised the U.S. will refuse any Haitian or Cuban trying to enter the country using a boat, even if they have showed a credible fear of persecution in their nation.
“Let me be crystal clear: if you go to the ocean, you will not enter the country,” Mayorkas said.
This warning comes as Cuban officials are cracking down against protestors after massive demonstrations erupted in the nation over the weekend. At least 100 Cubans are missing or were arrested so far. In Haiti, the country has been hit by chaos after the President of the country was killed recently.
Mayorkas left Cuba with his parents back in 1960 after Castro’s takeover of the nation, a point he talked about when Biden nominated him to be the leader of DHS.
“The U.S. gave my family and I a place of refuge,” Mayorkas said. “Now, I have been chosen to be the new DHS Secretary and lead the protection of all American citizens and those who leave behind persecution in search for a better life for loved ones and themselves.”
But this Tuesday, Mayorkas said those trying to make it to the United States by ocean will be stopped by authorities and brought back to their countries.
“If people establish a good-founded fear of torture or persecution, they are given to third nations for resettlement,” Mayorkas said. “They will not enter the U.S.”
Mayorkas’ warning was not a change in U.S. policy. For decades, officials have turned back the majority of migrants found at sea.
He did not say which third nations he was referring to in his comment. A DHS spokesperson said the State Dept. is in charge of third nation referrals.
Mayorkas said the United States has so far not found a “surge” in maritime migration of Haitians and Cubans. He said that 313 Haitians and 470 Cubans have been found at sea this year. Last year, 430 Haitians and 49 Cubans were captured by the Coast Guard.
These maritime incidents are nothing compared to the amount of Haitian and Cuban migrants taken into custody along the southern border with Mexico. With the total in May alone reaching 2,600 Cubans and 2,800 Haitians being found at the border.
Amnesty International: “This shameful message from the U.S. government to offshore its responsibilities for refugee protection is a horrible turning away from the administration's promised commitment to human rights and racial justice.” https://t.co/5YzCOfuWqD
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) July 14, 2021
This is outrageous. The Biden Administration fails to control the border and allow for catch and release yet the Cubans and Haitians who are suffering from political persecution are not allowed to seek asylum in the United States if they come by boat. Makes no sense. https://t.co/c3HkNsRGtT
— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) July 14, 2021
Didn't even cause a blip today. Didn't trend. No activist hashtag. No outrage from Ocasio-Cortez. No poetic grandstanding from Jim Acosta or CNN about the Statue of Liberty.
Nothing. Silence. https://t.co/AjmjhGqSDc
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 14, 2021
Cubans are being slaughtered by communists and the Biden administration won't let them come to the U.S. because they know that the majority of Cubans vote for Republicans. https://t.co/KV5tSCsaE7
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 14, 2021
I guess this is because Cubans aren't being persecuted by climate change, only by communists. https://t.co/quEa9kctNp
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) July 14, 2021
This was dumb under Trump and it’s dumb under Biden https://t.co/ffS0k0G0PQ
— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) July 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/bonchieredstate/status/1415074270917627904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1415074270917627904%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fleahbarkoukis%2F2021%2F07%2F14%2Fmayorkas-says-us-will-reject-asylumseeking-haitians-cubans-n2592506
Embarrassing. They have legitimate cause for asylum. Shameful move by the Biden administration. Not surprised. https://t.co/ltWEH5fJ3b
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) July 13, 2021
Author: Scott Dowdy
