Abstract

Inconsistencies in U.S. refugee policies have been due to the complex matrix of actors who participate in such policy debates as well as of the impact these concerns have had on policy formulations in the United States. This paper will explore how the United States administration implements such policies, and the problems the implementation process presents to refugees from Haiti and Cuba. The U.S. government's treatment of Haitians contrasts sharply with that accorded to Cubans, who for years have journeyed to the U.S. to escape difficult political and economic conditions in their country. While Haitians have been routinely sent back, Cubans have been automatically paroled into the U.S. The forced return policy has been criticized both within and outside the U.S. on the grounds that the interdiction program contradicts national and international prohibitions against refoulement, and selectively discriminates against Haitians