US Deports Haitians Despite Coronavirus Fears

The United States, the new epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, deported 61 Haitian migrants Tuesday despite fears of further spreading the deadly disease in Haiti.

Some U.S. lawmakers, immigration advocates and Haitian human rights activists said it was irresponsible for the United States to continue deportations to Haiti, which is ill-equipped to contain any outbreak of disease due to inadequate sanitation infrastructure and healthcare services.

None of the deportees on Tuesday had any symptoms before boarding the flight, although they had not been tested for the virus and could be asymptomatic, Haiti's foreign minister, Claude Joseph, told a virtual news conference.

The Haitian deportees would be placed in quarantine on arrival, Joseph said. Critics question how effective this is, with multiple local media reports of those quarantined escaping.