HIV-Infected Haitian Refugees: An Argument Against Exclusion

Abstract

The author discusses the plight of 222 Haitian refugees detained by the United States Immigration Service at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1993, and argues against the exclusion of these refugees, infected with HIV, for three reasons. First, the policy of exclusion exacerbates an already critical world health problem by perpetuating misconceptions about where the virus originated and how it is transmitted. Moreover, the author argues that such exclusionary policies ignore a fundamental premise of United States refugee law by failing to consider the compelling circumstances which prompt certain immigrants to leave their homes and seek refuge in the United States. Finally, the discussion reveals that the exclusion policy furthers no legitimate economic or public health interest on the part of the United States.

Keywords: immigration, asylum, HIV, Haiti, refugee