Anti-Trump Protest in Haiti Temporarily Shuts US Embassy

Rasa - The US Embassy in the Haitian capital closed Monday as demonstrators gathered outside to protest President Donald Trump.

News ID: 435978

Date: 24 January 2018 - 23:57

RNA - More than a 1,000 people marched toward the embassy, while they were prevented from reaching the gates by barricades set up by Haitian police, ABC News reported.

Officers in helmets and carrying shields eventually fired several rounds of tear gas after some protesters threw rocks at them outside the heavily fortified compound.

The embassy said it would be closed for the afternoon and directed employees in a statement to keep away during the protest. It was expected to reopen Tuesday.

Many Haitians were angered over reported disparaging remarks about Haiti by Trump and his administration's decision to end a program that gave temporary legal residency to about 60,000 Haitians in the United States.

The US President had asked why so many people from “s***hole countries” like El Salvador, Haiti and specific African nations come to the US, and suggested the United States should take in more immigrants from countries like Norway instead.

Trump became furious during a meeting at the White House days ago, saying “Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?”

The controversy sparked a strong backlash, both in the US and internationally, with Trump’s opponents accusing him of flat-out racism, and countries he allegedly insulted demanding explanation and apologies.

The US President denied being “racist” in the wake of a scandal and wide condemnation triggered by his alleged reference to African nations as “s***holes”, stressing that “I’m not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you."

But Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the meeting, stressed the President had used “vile, vulgar” language, including using the word “s***hole” when speaking about African nations.

The Trump administration has said Haitians will no longer be eligible for US visas given to low-skilled workers, bringing an end to a small-scale effort to employ those who came to the United States after the catastrophic earthquake in 2010.

DHS stressed in a regulatory filing that it was removing Haiti from lists of more than 80 countries whose citizens can be granted H-2A and H-2B visas, given to seasonal workers in agriculture and other industries.

It cited what it said were “high levels of fraud and abuse” by Haitians with the visas, and a “high rate of overstaying the terms” of their visas.

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