US Special Envoy To Haiti Quits Over Deportations Of Haitian Refugees

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Daniel Foote, pictured during a congressional hearing in 2016, has resigned as the U.S. envoy to Haiti. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

U.S. Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Foote has handed his resignation to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, saying he "will not be associated with the United States' inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti" from the U.S. border.

Foote, a career diplomat, said the U.S. policy approach to the country is deeply flawed, and that Haitians shouldn't be sent back to "a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs in control of daily life."

The letter was first reported by PBS and confirmed to NPR by a Democratic congressional aide, who confirmed the contents of the letter on condition he not be identified further.

SCOOP: Special Envoy for Haiti, Amb Daniel Foote, a career member of foreign service, has RESIGNED. In his letter of resignation, he says he will not be associated with the U.S.'s "inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees." Letter attached. pic.twitter.com/KlW5GoTF3u

â€" Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) September 23, 2021

The State Department confirmed Foote's resignation and thanked him for his service. Foote has been the special envoy since July 22.

"The United States remains committed to supporting safe, orderly, and humane migration throughout our region," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to NPR. "To address the immediate challenges that returnees face, the United States is working with the International Organization on Migration to ensure that returning Haitian migrants are met at the airport and provided with immediate assistance."

The Biden administration is facing widespread criticism for enforcing a Trump-era order of expelling migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum, citing public health concerns.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have slammed the U.S. response to the migrant surge, particularly after agents on horseback were seen this past weekend chasing and grabbing people who were carrying food back to their families.

In a sign of the increasingly desperate situation in Haiti, migrants who were flown back to the country caused chaos Tuesday when they rushed to get on a plane bound for the U.S. at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. One group of migrants tried to force their way onto another plane, assaulting the pilots, according to a report by NBC News. Others who recently returned to Haiti threw shoes at a plane as a guard rushed to close its doors, the Associated Press reported.

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