Mayorkas called his statement a “humanitarian message.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday warned those fleeing Haiti and Cuba amid unrest not to attempt to reach the United States by boat. “Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States,” he said.
His comments come after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has left a power vacuum in the country and as Cubans took to the streets in rare protests in the communist country, complaining of food shortages and a worsening economy.
“It is a long-standing message from the United States, and the reality of it is that when people take to the sea, they put their lives in tremendous peril. Just in the last few weeks, we have seen approximately 20 people lose their lives by taking to the sea,” he said, reiterating a call made from the Coast Guard on Tuesday. “It is extraordinarily dangerous. It is not worth the risk, and consistent with long-standing practice, people will be returned. One cannot take to the sea and come to the United States, it won’t work.”
Secretary Mayorkas is himself a Cuban American who fled the island nation as a child with his parents.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president’s administration as they reconsider immigration policy.
- For Secretary Mayorkas to seek the best approach to those seeking refuge in the U.S.
- For the citizens of Haiti and Cuba as their nations experience unrest.
Sources: The Hill, Daily Caller
