Haitian Prime Minister calls for protection of migrants’ rights

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has urged the United Nations to protect the rights of migrants. “Parents will always try to provide a better life for their children,” said the Haitian prime minister on Saturday. “There will always be emigration as long as people don’t see any chance of a better life in their countries.” Henry advocated eliminating the causes of flight in the countries of origin of immigrants.

The United States flew thousands of Haitians to Port-au-Prince this week after nearly 15,000 Haitians camped under a bridge in the Texas border town of Del Rio. There was outrage that US border guards on horseback were rounding up Haitian immigrants on the border river. US President Joe Biden described the process as a scandal.

Haiti is in a serious crisis. Armed gangs control parts of the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation. In early July, President Jovenel Moyes was shot and killed by a homicide squad at his residence. The background to the attack remains unclear. “I will do everything in my power to find the perpetrators and supporters of this heinous crime,” Henry said in his video message. However, the attorney general also wants to investigate the prime minister in connection with the attack.

In addition, Haiti is frequently exposed to serious natural disasters. A violent earthquake in mid-August killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed more than 50,000 homes. The delivery of aid and emergency services has been slow to reach the remote area in the southwest of the country.