Thirty-thousand Haitians ordered to leave United States (USA Today)

Thirty-thousand Haitians ordered to leave United States

Posted 2/16/09

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities say they've ordered 30,000 Haitians to leave the country.

Haitian officials, however, say they're not issuing the travel documents needed to process most deportees.

Handfuls of deportees with valid passports have been returned to Haiti since Dec. 5, following a three-month break in deportations, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. But Haitian officials say the storm-batted Caribbean country needs time to recover and can't handle the return of its citizens.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the lack of travel documents means some deportees are spending more time in crowded detention centers. According to ICE, about 600 Haitians are being detained and more than 240 others are under a form of house arrest and being monitored with electronic ankle bracelets.