DEPORTEES RETURN TO HAITI

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT AU PRINCE 000952 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KJUS KCRM HA SUBJECT: DEPORTEES RETURN TO HAITI REF: PAUP 889 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Anderson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 1.(C) DHS and the Embassy successfully resumed the deportee program on May 25, with the repatriation of 62 Haitian detainees to Port-au-Prince on a chartered J-PATS aircraft. Minister of Interior official Smith Barthelus, accompanied by Poloff, attended the arrival of the deportees at the airport. A bus chartered by the USG transported the Haitian deportees from the airport to judicial police (DCPJ) headquarters. ¶2. (C) After the arrival of the flight DCPJ Director General Michael Lucius told Poloff that the Ministry of Justice had not been consulted on the return of the deportees. Disembarkation at the airport proceeded with virtually no armed police presence. Upon their arrival at the DCPJ, Ministry of Interior officials held the deportees on the USG-chartered bus for 6 hours while Ministry of Interior officials negotiated with Lucius. After last-minute mediation between the Ministries of Interior and Justice, facilitated by Emboffs, the GoH released 32 of the deportees, who had committed only immigration violations or misdemeanors in the U.S. The GoH distributed the remaining 30 serious offenders among various police commissariats around Port-au-Prince, where they will await the determination of their status by the Justice ministry. ¶2. (C) Comment. Interim government officials agreed to the resumption of deportations after intense pressure by the Ambassador (reftel). Only through enormous efforts on the ground did post succeed in overcoming their half-hearted commitment, disorganization, and lack of coordination. We expect that we will have to intensively re-engage the new officials in the Preval government to secure their cooperation with deportations, but at the very least we hope for more efficient performance on their part. SANDERSON