Biden’s DHS secretary to Cubans, Haitians fleeing turmoil: ‘Don’t come to U.S.’

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Biden’s DHS secretary to Cubans, Haitians fleeing turmoil: ‘Don’t come to U.S.’
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (Image: YouTube screen grab)

By K. Walker

Call it an abrupt policy switch? Or is the U.S. sending an unsubtle message to real asylum seekers now that the Biden administration is reaping the whirlwind of its misguided program on the southern border?

On July 7, Jovenel Moïse, the President of Haiti was assassinated and it has been chaos ever since. The island nation has no clear leadership and rival politicians jockeying for power. On top of that, life in Haiti has been rough there for months with a surge in gang violence and kidnappings, violent protests, and a heavy-handed response by the government.

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Meantime, an island away,  large-scale anti-communist protests were staged in Cuba on Sunday as the long-oppressed masses demand freedom from the dictatorial regime that has ruled over them for more than half a century.

The push-back there has been swift and brutal. One man has been confirmed killed, and over 100 people have gone missing since the protests began. Videos are circulating about the retaliation that Cuban protesters are facing. It is difficult to confirm the authenticity of the claims due to a social media blackout. The videos are often shared through American intermediaries.

In normal times, the instability caused by the political turmoil would be grounds for refugee or asylum claims. But we do not live in normal times.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday that Cubans and Haitians should not attempt to enter the United States to seek asylum. He warned would-be migrants that the journey by sea is dangerous and “people will die.” He added that potential refugees that survive trip will not be welcome here, even if they claim to be fearing persecution in their home country. They will either be repatriated or referred to other countries for resettlement.

“The time is never right to attempt migration by sea,” said Mayorkas at the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. “Allow me to be clear, if you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States,” Mayorkas said.

This is very different from the “don’t come yet” advice that was given to migrants making a dangerous trek across the southern border with the assistance of criminal cartels. The southern border migrants were told by Secretary Mayorkas that they needed to wait until the Biden-Harris administration had created “safe, orderly and humane” ways to deal with them. This was reiterated by Biden himself when he said, “Yes, I can say quite clearly: Don’t come [while] we’re in the process of getting set up … don’t leave your town or city or community.” [Emphasis added]

So what is the reason for the distinction. Is the message from the administration, “You are allowed to enter the U.S. illegally if you are coming here for economic reasons but if you are suffering political persecution, all bets are off?”

It’s odd that people who can walk over the border “seeking a better life” are being accepted, while those converting Studebakers into boats because they fear imprisonment or death are not.

Maybe if the Cubans and Haitians were wearing “Biden please let us in” t-shirts, they’d have more of a welcome from the administration. Probably not for the Cuban refugees. After all, it was the Obama administration that ended the “wet foot, dry foot” policy as one of his last acts as a middle finger to Republicans in January 2017.

Here’s an interesting closing factoid: Alejandro Mayorkas himself came to the United States from Cuba with his parents after the Communists took over when he was just one year old.

This was pointed out by Desi Cuellar, a Republican and veteran, who is challenging Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York’s 14th Congressional District.

Cross-posted at ClashDaily

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