Top U.S. official apologizes for treatment of Haitians in Del Rio during visit to Haiti

AP Photo/Felix Marquez

The U.S. National Security Council’s senior director for the Western Hemisphere went to Haiti and apologized for the treatment received by Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas. It looks like the days of Obama-style apology tours are back.

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Juan Gonzalez traveled to Haiti for a two-day trip. The purpose of his visit was to speak to local leaders about migration as well as other issues. He apologized for the alleged poor treatment of Haitians as they illegally flooded into the border city of Del Rio. “I want to say that it was an injustice, that it was wrong,” he said. “The proud people of Haiti and any migrant deserve to be treated with dignity.” He obviously was referencing the debunked story of Haitians being whipped by Border Patrol agents on horseback. The photographer of the now-famous pictures of the horse patrol working on the southern border as 30,000 Haitians illegally flooded into the Del Rio sector in the span of two weeks confirmed that no whips were used yet the story lingers on. Now there’s been an international apology for something that didn’t happen.

Gonzalez visited Brian Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, and one topic of discussion was the public health threat that mass illegal migration by Haitians creates. He warned Haitians planning to leave Haiti of the dangers by telling them not to come. Gonzalez said “the danger is too great.” His warning doesn’t sound any more convincing than the lame statements that Kamala and DHS Secretary Mayorkas have made to discourage migrants from Central America, Mexico, and other countries from illegally crossing the border into the United States. Simply telling them not to come at this point is meaningless. The word got out from Biden and his adimistration when Biden took office that the Trump immigration policies were being discontinued and Biden would not deport illegal aliens.

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Look no further than the deportations of Haitians. The number of those who have been flown back to Haiti after coming to Del Rio is 4,600 on 43 flights according to DHS. That is since September 19. 4,600 sent back of the 30,000 reported to have come into Del Rio is hardly a number to boast about. Most are being moved out of the border area and being released into other communities. What is the motivation for Haitians to stop trying to come to the southern border? They know once they get here they will likely be able to stay.

Gonzalez and Nichols met this week with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, along with other political leaders in Haiti to discuss the devastation brought by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s southern region in mid-August. Other topics are reported to have been migration, public safety, and the pandemic. The two also met with Haitian Americans and Cuban Americans in Miami on Wednesday, so they’ve been busy doing a listening tour along with apologizing. It will come as no surprise that Gonzalez was a member of the Obama administration, a specialist on Latin America. He learned from the master apologist who was always eager to blame America for any imagined grievance. They did finally stumble upon the correct conclusion – “the future of Haiti depends on its own people.”

Nichols said that during their visit, they heard many people talk about the challenges that Haiti faces, noting that there’s a “surprising” amount of agreement on potential solutions.

“There is no solution that will work for Haiti and its people that will be imposed from the outside,” he said, referring to recent criticism about the involvement of the U.S. and other countries in Haitian affairs as it tries to recover from the earthquake and from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse at his private home. “However, we in the United States are committed to providing the Haitian people the support they need to succeed and implement their own vision.”

Nichols said the conversation with the prime minister was constructive, adding that the U.S. is encouraging consensus and a holistic vision.

“The future of Haiti depends on its own people,” he said. “The United States is committed to working with the people of Haiti to support as they work to bring prosperity and security back to their country.”

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The United States has come to the assistance of Haiti in their times of need countless times over past decades. There is nothing wrong with helping a poor country ill-equipped to take care of its people after natural disasters and public health crises. However, the Haitian migrants coming into the U.S. illegally to claim asylum which they are not likely qualified for are not being abused or mistreated once they get here. The Biden border crisis has put unimaginable burdens on law enforcement and border communities. The numbers of people coming across the border are so high that when 30,000 Haitians showed up in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 residents, the only way to manage them was to house them in a camp under the Del Rio International Bridge and try to put a stop to those who continued to cross the Rio Grande River. The Haitian migrants went back and forth across the river wiht impunity, back into Mexico to get food and supplies, and then come back to the camp. They were moving freely. Finally, the horse patrol was brought in and used to maintain crowd control. They do not carry whips. They were not “strapping” the Haitians as feeble Joe stated.

The American officials, under the guidance of Jake Sullivan who has his own problems with the truth, as we have learned, cannot admit that Whipgate is a lie manufactured by Democrat operatives and a willing press to distract from the Biden border crisis that continues to grow. The default position of Democrats is always to blame America and to blame law enforcement for doing its job. The Biden border crisis is intentional. It is not far-fetched to think that the next move will be to abolish ICE and perhaps even the Border Patrol.

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A technical team from the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement will visit Haiti next week to help with solutions to Haiti’s spike in gang-related violence. The undersecretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights will visit other senior officials to discuss police and security issues.

Where’s Kamala? She’s not visiting Haiti and telling the Haitians not to come, is she? She still hasn’t been to the Rio Grande Valley and neither has Joe Biden. The Biden border crisis is intentional. Both Kamala and Biden have time to campaign for Democrats and do fundraisers, as well as travel to encourage people to get vaccinations but somehow a trip to the southern border to monitor a national security matter doesn’t fit into their schedules.

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