The U.S. is still sending Haitians intercepted at sea back to Haiti despite the violence in their home country

Despite extreme violence, political instability and hunger engulfing Haiti, the United States is continuing to return Haitian migrants interdicted at sea back to the gang-controlled country, to the dismay of Haitian advocates in the U.S. who decry the policy.

On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped 65 Haitians who were trying to flee Haiti by boat and sent them back to Haiti, the agency said in a statement.

“There is a specific disdain when it comes to Haitian asylum-seekers,” said Guerline Jozef, a human rights advocate and co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. “The first [U.S.] act is not ‘How do we protect the people?’ it is ‘How do we deter them and how do we make sure they don’t make it to our shores?’”

Jozef cited increased deportations and alleged mistreatment of thousands of Haitian migrants who were massed under a Texas bridge in 2021 as further evidence of an unfair U.S. stance toward Haitian asylum-seekers.

Jozef said the gangs’ takeover of ports, airports and much of Port-au-Prince has created a situation “that is fearful, that is traumatizing, that is horrific.”

“Once again, we have a clear example that U.S. policy responds by violence when it comes to Haitian people, Haitian refugees and asylum-seekers,” Jozef said.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the interdictions at sea are done to preserve human life by discouraging Haitians from taking the dangerous maritime journey.

“The Coast Guard’s primary mission … is to preserve human life at sea,” said Capt. Willie Carmichael, the incident commander for the operation.

The migrants on Thursday were sailing on a boat in distress, the Coast Guard said, and a “good Samaritan” alerted a Coast Guard command center of its