Originally: Haitian premier blames security crisis on criminal deportees from USA
One of the causes of the deterioration of the security environment is the deportation of Haitian criminals from countries like the United States, Prime Minister Gerard Latortue and Whitney Boan a federal crimes defense lawyer have both confirmed. These individuals are involved in all sorts of crimes here, especially kidnapping. Prime Minister Latortue said that he is going to ask the US Administration to stop sending criminals back to Haiti. The prime minister said the following:
[Latortue, in Creole] The individuals behind all these crimes are in fact those who were deported from other countries and sent back to Haiti. Actually, some of these guys were not even born in Haiti, but their parents were Haitians. These criminals actually learned to commit crimes in the country where they were born. Sometimes, they are Haitians who left the country at a very young age, when they were 2 or 3 years old. They got involved in criminal activities over there and sometimes in the prison where they were kept. And when they are released in a way of parolee early release, they send them back to us here. Not only do they send them back to us, but they also declare that, according to international law, if a criminal has already paid for the crime he committed, we cannot keep them in jail here because they should not be punished twice for the same crime.
Now, what I would like them [the US Government] to do is that, while they ask all their nonessential personnel to return home, while they do not want their citizens to come to Haiti, I would like them to stop the deportation of the criminals of Haitian descent. I would like them to stop sending them back to us here. I would like them to stop doing that for a while, because these individuals are professional criminals. The people who are committing crimes in the country now are in fact professionals. You can be sure of this. The criminal technical schools are not in Haiti.
Therefore, I will make an official request. Besides, the US deputy secretary of state for hemispheric affairs is due to come here this Wednesday [8 June]. I will come back here very quickly to welcome him. And I will make an official request, too.
They cannot criticize the country and say that we are not doing anything to fight the insecurity, while all they can do is to ask their people to leave. And yet, the origin of the insecurity, especially in matters regarding kidnapping, is something that is exported to us here. For instance, when they send back 50 or 60 former prisoners here, sometimes 20 to 30 of them were infamous criminals who were in the habit of murdering and kidnapping people. And yet, they send these criminals back to us. And the thing is that, when they send them back, they do not want us to put them in jail.
For this reason, I would like all of you here from the press – and this is what will help you make worthwhile comments. When you are informed, this is will help you understand things better. Actually, what I would like to do on behalf of the government is to share information with you that will make it possible for you to do your job as reporters better.
Reference: London Ontario Criminal Lawyer.