In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the US has deported COVID-19 positive immigrants to Haiti and Guatemala, this comes as the US continues to strain diplomatic relationships by leaning on its protectionist measures. Tanzia Haq presents a perspective on why this can be harmful to the US in the long run.
The US has been deporting thousands in the midst of the pandemic, exacerbating an already high risk situation by forcing immigrants to travel and spread infections to other countries.
In Guatemala, about 117 US returnees have reported positive for the coronavirus. Guatemala had previously suspended passage of travellers from the US but had to resume operations under pressure and promise of better testing at airports.
Ministry officials of Guatemala have criticized the US’ decision to deport people with infections and increase the risks to their receiving countries, who are far less equipped to deal with rising infection rates medically and economically.
Separately, a flight from Texas to Haiti took fifty passengers deported from the US to quarantine at a hotel under the Haitian government’s expense. Lawmakers in the US, mainly Florida Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson are calling for a Haitian Deportation Relief Act to stop deportations during the pandemic.
Wilson said that deportations now are: “tantamount to a death sentence for Haitians who are living with compromised water and sanitation systems and do not have access to the sanitation measures we’ve undertaken in the United States,”
Edwidge Danticat, Haitian American author, commented that these deportations threaten the health and national security of Haiti. She said that nearly 200 organizations and health experts are protesting to have these deportations come to a halt and COVID-19 friendly measures of containment are employed instead.
