Bruce Drake

Majority of Americans Oppose Allowing an Increase of Haitian Immigrants to the U.S.
Posted: 01/26/10
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A majority of Americans do not believe that the U.S. should increase the number of Haitian immigrants that it allows to come into the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake in the island nation, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Jan. 23-24.

While Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced soon after the Jan. 12 earthquake that the U.S. would allow entry of Haitian children that were due for adoption and let Haitians illegally in the country stay for 18 months, the Obama administration has not opened the door for newly-orphaned children and other Haitians seeking to come here.

The Washington Post said "the tension between U.S. policy and the desperation to leave [Haiti] is spawning a debate in Washington over whether the government should let more Haitians in. Immigration advocates and several members of Congress have begun pressing the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to ease the rules."

The USA Today/Gallup survey said 53 percent of Americans oppose increasing the number of Haitian immigrants allowed into the U.S. while 41 percent support such a move, with 7 percent undecided. Democrats favor allowing an increase in immigration, while Republicans and independents do not.

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http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/26 ... itian-imm/