[JURIST] The US Customs and Border Protection has arrested 115 Haitians who have crossed the boarder illegally since the January 12 earthquake, according to Sunday reports. Mark Henry, operations officer for the Border Patrol’s Swanton sector, which covers 261 miles of the US-Canada border from New Hampshire through Vermont to New York said that 114 Haitians have been arrested in Vermont and one in New York. Many of the Haitians, previously deported from the US and seeking refugee status in Canada, returned to reconnect with remaining relatives in the US after losing family in the earthquake. Additionally, it is suspected that the illegal entrants are returning to the US with hopes that the 18-month Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will allow them to reestablish themselves and strengthen their case for citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted TPS and placed a ban on deportation and removal proceedings of Haitian nationals in order to provide a temporary refuge for those already present in the US on January 12, regardless of their immigration status.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said in January that Haitians who arrived illegally after the earthquake would be sent back to Haiti. Napolitano told a news conference that Haitians should not view the earthquake as an open opportunity to migrate to the US, but should remain in their country to help rebuild. Additionally, the DHS announced that the US would allow Haitian orphans into the country to receive needed care in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that caused massive damage to property and infrastructure in Haiti. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti has said that up to 50 percent of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including the presidential palace, the UN Mission headquarters, and the main prison, allowing nearly 4,000 inmates to escape. Thousands of US military troops have been deployed to assist the Haitian police and international peacekeepers as they confront rising lawlessness in the country. UN officials say the death toll may never be known, but Haitian officials have estimated that between 100,000 to 200,000 have died as a result of the earthquake.