A Personal Perspective on the Case of Joseph Dantica

I had no idea when I wrote this initial post on the death of Joseph Dantica that he was an uncle of the justifiably acclaimed Haitian novelist, Edwige Danticat. In yesterday's Times she wrote an op-ed piece about the case that is worth reading.  This is what her uncle was fleeing:

When the international and combined Haitian forces left Bel-Air, gang members came to my uncle's home, told him that 15 of their friends had been killed and said he had to pay for the burials or die. Having lived and worked in Bel-Air for more than 50 years, he had known some of these young men since they were boys, and they allowed him a few minutes to make a phone call. He grabbed a few important papers and fled to a nearby house.

My uncle hid under a neighbor's bed for three days as the gang members searched for him. They ransacked his home and church and set the school on fire. When he was finally able to leave, he and Maxo traveled to the United States - my uncle on a multiple-entry visa, just as he had, many times, for more than 30 years.

Haitians are still strongly discriminated against in terms of asylum policies and the fact that they are not given Temporary Protected Status. Ms Danticat is right on the money here:

Still, while the American government just renewed, for the fourth time, another 18-month term of the Temporary Protected Status granted to approximately 85,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, it will not give the same status to 20,000 Haitians living here. It denies Haitians this status even though the interim government in Haiti (with the backing of both Democratic and Republican officials in the United States) appealed for the measure to give Haiti time to stabilize its security system and recover from a severe housing shortage resulting from the ravages of Jeanne. Homeland Security officials often cite security concerns and the fear of mass migration to justify their immigration policy for Haitians but is it really wise for the United States to allow a country so close to Florida to so seriously decay?

I stand by what I said before. Reverend Dantica was treated the way he was because he was Haitian. I urge you to read the entire article.