Are there “Haitian refugees” in the U.S. as a result of the earthquake?
In the immigration and human rights context, “refugees” are displaced people who, due to well-founded fear of persecution, have fled their homeland. Based on this traditional international law concept, there is no refugee process to admit Haitians into the U.S. who have been affected the earthquake. However, the U.S. government has the authority to grant humanitarian parole to Haitians or persons of any nationality if it deems such action appropriate. There are indications that the government has granted such parole in rare cases. Humanitarian parole provides for no bridge to permanent resident status or U.S. citizenship.
