Good News
17-year-old Haitian Asylum-seeker Released
Rose Termitus, a 17-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who was the subject of two Amnesty International actions, has been released after more than 14 months in immigration detention in Florida. Rose fled Haiti on a boat that arrived in Florida on October 29, 2002. She says that her home had been burned down by people she thinks are supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Her asylum claim was denied, but she could not be deported to Haiti because she is a minor and her parents could not be located (they are believed to be dead), and no one else could be found in Haiti to take responsibility for her. Initially, it appeared that the Department of Homeland Security would keep her in detention for another year until she reaches her 18th birthday, at which point, as an adult, she could be deported.
The Miami Herald reported that the decision to release Rose to the custody of a cousin in New York was made "only after constant pressure from human rights workers outraged by the recent treatment of children seeking refuge in America."
The Miami Herald also quoted Rose as saying, "I am very happy," and quoted her cousin as saying, "I can't describe to you how I feel. Pure joy."
The government can still seek to deport Rose after she turns 18 on October 27, 2004.
