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Morning News

Miami's Haitian Community Speaks Out Against Repatriation of Hundreds of Would-Be Immigrants

Aired January 4, 2000 - 10:34 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Miami's Haitian community is condemning a U.S. government decision to repatriate hundreds of Haitian boat people. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service on Sunday ordered a boatload of immigrants sent back to Haiti.

Reporter Mark Londner (ph) from CNN affiliate WSVN in Miami has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: INS bring them back! INS bring them back!

MARK LONDNER, WSVN REPORTER (voice-over): Even as protesters chanted "INS bring them back," nearly 400 Haitians were heading back to Haiti aboard U.S. Coast Guard cutters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not too late for the United States to act, it is not too late for Janet Reno or the Immigration Service to do the right thing, and that's why we're here today. We know how the process works, and we know that it's not too late to do the right thing.

LONDNER: Haitian Americans gathered for the third day to demand that the would-be immigrants who ran aground just off Key Biscayne on New Year's Day be allowed into the U.S. The INS says it is following the usual procedures for migrants who don't actually set foot on U.S. soil. A spokesperson says all asylum claims will be heard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If anybody's claiming any type of credible fear or any type of credible fear for persecution purposes, will be interviewed on the vessel on the way to Haiti.

LONDNER: Activists say Haitians don't get a fair hearing of their asylum claims, especially aboard Coast Guard cutters heading back to Haiti. U.S. policy is to send back all migrants stopped at sea. It is a policy Florida Governor Jeb Bush says he supports.

GOV. JEB BUSH, FLORIDA: Anything that we could do that would encourage people risking their lives to leave Haiti or Cuba I think is a mistake in policy. I mean, these pictures, Mark, of 400, 450 people just jam-packed in a rickety boat and the chance of that boat capsizing and all the people losing their lives as occurred in the past, is something that we should be very concerned about. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Again, reporter Mark Londner, our affiliate in Miami, WSVN with that story there.

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