A few weeks ago, someone I knew and worked with in the struggle passed away. Father Gérard Jean-Juste was the embodiment of truth and justice.
He fought tirelessly for democracy in Haiti, assisted the poor, and was an advocate for immigrant rights—particularly refugee rights. Many Haitians, from Port-au-Prince to Miami to New York to Boston, were touched by this remarkable man.
On June 20th, the world commemorated World Refugee Day. I could not help but remember Father Gérard Jean-Juste and the plight of Haitian refugees, and the U.S. Haitian refugee policy over the many decades.
During the repressive regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier, the Reagan administration and the Haitian government signed an agreement in 1981 adversely affecting Haitian refugees. The agreement empowered the U.S. Coast Guard to return Haitian refugees to their island to face countless human rights abuses.
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