US Haiti envoy quits over migrants' 'inhumane' deportation, WH calls it 'unfortunate'

The United States ambassador to Haiti, Daniel Foote has tendered his resignation in protest against the mass deportation of Haitians from Texas. On Thursday, the envoy wrote a resignation letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, lambasting the Biden administration's "inhumane" effort to expel Haitian migrants to their home country, which is facing political instability, insecurity and poverty and recovering from a deadly earthquake. Foote, who was chosen to be the US special envoy to Haiti in July, called the Biden administration's policy in Haiti "deeply flawed," while claiming that all his recommendations were brushed aside, and he will not be "associated with (such) counterproductive" displacement of Haitians.

In the resignation letter, Foote mentioned that Haiti was in a "collapse state", stating that the country is grappling with drought and internal conflict after former President Jovonel Moise's assassination. The country is "lacking food, shelter, and money without additional, avoidable human tragedy," his letter read. Foote even said that "Haiti is a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs in control of daily life". The resignation comes as the US continues to expel a large number of migrants from three locations in South Texas.

"Our policy approach to Haiti remains deeply flawed, and my policy recommendations have been ignored and dismissed, when not edited to project a narrative different from my own,” Envoy Foote wrote in his letter.

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki has strongly condemned Foote's resignation at a "critical juncture", AP reported. "Special envoy Foote had ample opportunity to raise concerns about immigration during his tenure. Never once he did so," Psaki said during a presser. Calling Foote's stepping down as "unfortunate", the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "Instead of participating in a solutions-oriented policy process, Special Envoy Foote has both resigned and mischaracterised the circumstances of his resignation.”

Haitian migrants' condition worsening in Texas border camps

As pressure mounts on the US President to stop the "inhumane" deportations, the situation continues to deteriorate in the Texas border camps sheltering Haitian migrants until they are flown out. Images and videos displaying the deplorable situation in makeshift facilities surfaced on the internet in the past weeks. Since Sunday, 19 September, the US has flown out over 1,401 migrants to Port-au-Prince (Haitian capital) from the border city of Del Rio along the Texas-Mexico border, BBC reported. According to US media, over 13,000 migrants have gathered under the international bridge that connects Del Rio to Ciudad Acuna (Mexico) over the last weekend.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)