Haitian boat people are refugees from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

who flee the country by boat, usually to

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

and sometimes the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

. The first reports of refugees fleeing Haiti by boat to the United States began in 1972. In the 1980

Mariel boatlift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and En ...

, many Haitian boat people joined the exodus from Cuba to take refuge in the United States. Between 1972 and 1981 around 55,000 boat people had arrived in Florida, but many escaped U.S. detection so the number may be around 100,000. Around 50,000 landed in the Bahamas during the 1980s. Before 1981 all Haitian entrants to the United States were detained and if not considered political refugees, were sent back to Haiti. After 1981 all Haitian refugees intercepted by the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

were immediately sent back to Haiti. After political turmoil in Haiti in 1991 around 40,000 boat people attempted to sail to the United States. Many were detained at Guantanamo Bay where they were interviewed to see if they were seeking political asylum. Many were later granted asylum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haitian boat people Haitian-American history Haiti–United States relations Haitian diaspora in North America Haitian refugees Migrant crises Refugees in the United States

See also

References