Plan To Bring Haitians To Central Fla. Not Set In Stone

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The American Red Cross says a plan to bring 45,000 evacuees from Haiti to Florida, and 4,000 of those to Orange County, is not set in stone. The Red Cross clarified Friday who could be involved in a plan to move people out of Haiti.

The Red Cross is preparing for two things: the repatriation of Americans living in Haiti and the possibility of a mass migration of Haitian nationals.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIDEO REPORT: Haitian Refugees Could Come To Orlando HELP OUT: Local Organizations | National Organizations SPECIAL SECTION: Quake Recovery Updates, Donation Info --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The American Red Cross has seen massive migration into the U.S. from areas like Kosovo and Bosnia in the past, but no determination has been made yet in the case of Haiti. But the repatriation of Americans has already begun. Eyewitness News was told that it includes people like missionaries who may have already been working in Haiti before the quake.

The U.S. citizens are being brought into South Florida through Miami and Homestead, where their identities can be verified. Thursday night, five flights arrived with 190 Americans on board.

“I think that we will continue see U.S. citizens coming in over the weekend and through the beginning of next week. And that would be our first focus and first wave and, I think, as the conditions are assessed in Haiti and some decisions are made both with our federal government and the Haitian government about what’s best for their citizens,” Director of Emergency Services Becky Sebren said.

Americans continued to arrive in South Florida Friday afternoon and, as the United States plans its strategy to help Haiti, the state closest to the island nation is taking center stage with a plan to bring tens of thousands of refugees to Florida and approximately 4,000 to Orlando.

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty says he has some concerns with the possible plan. If Haitians are brought to Central Florida, the county, city and possibly other area communities will have to scramble to figure out where to put the earthquake victims, and it will be a tough challenge.

"It would occur to me that there is a legal process associated with that and it would probably have to come through the State Department in terms of citizenship and visas, work visas [and] that sort of thing," Mayor Crotty said.

What that influx of people brings with it is a very large service demand, particularly in the area of social services in what is already a tough economy.

"We're very stressed financially right now and this is going to add to that stress," Mayor Crotty said. "So this is a balance we're going to have to work on strengthening."

Governor Charlie Crist told Eyewitness News Friday that, while he's talked to the Secretary of Homeland Security about bringing Haitians to Florida, nothing has been decided at this point.

Governor Crist was at a jobs summit in Orlando Friday morning. Crist wouldn't confirm whether Haitian refugees would be coming to Central Florida; he did say that Florida has pledged to do everything it can to help those in need after the earthquake.

"We want to be in touch with the State Department, making sure we're doing what is necessary for these people to get the help they need and deserve," Crist said.

Governor Crist said, because of mild hurricane seasons for the past several years, there are a lot of relief supplies available in Florida. He said some of those supplies will be used to help Haitians in need.

Additionally, the State of Florida has opened a new emergency information hotline about the Haiti quake. It's meant to give Floridians a link to informational resources on the international response and recovery efforts.

The hotline number is 1-800-342-3557. You can call for information between the hours of 10:00am until 6:00pm

Hopefully that’s what she means. I sympathize with everyone’s suspicions.

I wish I could share your optimism. Age and experience have led me, like so many others, to distrust my government. More than any previous, this past year has opened my eyes and grayed my hair.

My prediction is that this generation and this administration will in the future be studied and marvelled at, by those who're curious to see how a great nation can fall so far so fast. I would suggest mass immigration from third-world countries as a major contributing factor.

*Colonialism of inferior cultures by superior ones, that is. Colonialism of superior cultures by inferior ones proceeds apace - part of the reparations the West must pay to make amends for our efforts to lead barbarians to a state of civilization.

I see your point and agree with it to an extent. But you should be mindful not to take it too far... Practically every Haitian would not be in Haiti if their ancestors had not been dragged there in chains by "the West." I wouldn't lionize those who held the chains.

I wouldn't lionize those who held the chains.

That's a fair point. But to quote Muhammad Ali (upon seeing the conditions in which people lived in Zaire), "I'm sure glad my great-great-granddaddy got on that boat!"

I won't applaud the oppression of colonialism. But I will argue that, in the vast majority of cases, when a superior nation colonizes an inferior one, the inferior one, in the long run, benefits in many ways. (There's a reason, after all, why one culture triumphs and another suffers defeat.)

Yes, sovereignty is sacrificed, and often liberty as well. But this is no less than nations and individuals have done willingly, seeing it to be in their best interests. And sometimes the conquered have arisen later to become the conquerers - just as the student, having learned all he can from his master and progressed beyond him, then becomes the master.

And this is as it should be, isn't it? Haven't the British, who we at one time were but whom we superseded politically and defeated in war, looked to us many times for guidance intellectually and aid militarily? Didn't India, who chafed under British colonialism, still adopt Britain's political and judicial philosophies? Don't we value the technological and industrial innovations of the Japanese, whom we defeated in war and subjugated under our culture of democratic rule? - innovations that would not have arisen under their archaic emperor-worship and aristocratic code. And so on and on throughout history.

Even the American Indians, had they not been overthrown by the colonies and the United States, would have been subjugated by another power. Now they're protected, subsidized, and benefited by what American culture has produced.

And should the culture of the West - which has substituted the rule of law for the law of the jungle, and brought technological innovation, convenience, medicine, political stability, and wealth unimagined in the days of King Solomon - submit to be equated with the cultures of those which can't even remember how to dig a latrine, not only will those peoples not benefit, but we too will suffer as a result.

The advance of civilization is neither pretty nor painless. But the alternative - leaving whole peoples to their barbarian ways, and even worse, returning to those ways ourselves - is unthinkable.

I appreciate your thoughtful response, and I can’t find much to disagree with.

Regarding your other response about your pessimism... I have always been an optimist. Perhaps that is a symptom of MY age.

Though I agree philosophically with most conservative ideals, and ideologically with many conservative politicians, I cannot bring myself to believe most liberals have evil or treasonous intentions.

Thus I often find myself posting “yes, but...” responses on FreeRepublic. Hopefully they’ll continue to be tolerated and not get me banned :).

I like to think that I’m at least giving perspective. We often chastise liberals for disregarding truth and reason, and I have cause to believe some conservatives have succumbed to the same since Obama was elected. You might call it Obama-derangement syndrome.

Regarding the matter at hand.. I will give you 3:1 odds that no significant number of new Haitians will be brought to the U.S. intentionally by the government.

Our government is currently flying planes over Haiti broadcasting radio messages from Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S. His message? “Do not attempt passage to the U.S. by sea. You will likely die, and if you do not, you will be sent back.”

Napolitano and others have given the same message in media outlets. I don’t think it’s irresponsible to prepare for the possibility of a mass migration. I also don’t think such preparation betrays the intention of the Obama administration to effect such a migration intentionally. But if the relief operation succeeds, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Some FReepers are talking about millions of new Haitian Democrats in Florida... What planet are they living on? If they came, they wouldn’t be able to vote, and the Floridians impacted by such a nightmare would burn the White House to the ground.

Looking at those companies and owners connections/investments/donations etc. could prove interesting. Here is one company. - Vertical Textiles Gains Cut-And-Sew Facility In Haiti snip/ “Miami-based Vertical Textiles a full-package producer with knitting, dyeing and finishing operations in Miami and cutting and sewing operations in Hispaniola has partnered with Caribbean Apparel Manufacturing S.A. a cut-and-sew facility in Haiti to offer full-package apparel production.
As a result, Vertical Textiles will finish fabrics made from imported inputs at its Miami facility, and send them to Haiti for final assembly. The company expects the partnership and resulting new supply chain to reduce costs by 30 percent.”
http://www.textileworld.com/Articles/2007/May-June/Textile_News/Vertical_Textiles_Gains_Cut-And-Sew_Facility_In_Haiti.html Vertical Textiles, LLC
Incorporated - Amancio J Suarez, Elizabeth Collazo, Jorge L Camaraza, Josefina Camaraza, Ricardo Collazo. Vertical Textiles, LLC located at 7000 NW 37th Ave Miami, FL http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Miami/vertical-textiles-llc-3075460.aspx
CUBANS?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.