Haitians living in political fear in their homeland often use a Creole phrase to explain why they risk a trip to Florida on rickety boats: Better to die in the waters of freedom than in a land of oppression.
President Clinton's policy shift Sunday, which will give Haitian boat refugees the chance to make their case for political asylum, means those with legitimate claims will have a better reason to make the dangerous trip.
"We will determine aboard ships or in other countries which ones are bona fide political refugees," Clinton says.
The president's decision to end immediate repatriation of boat refugees is a first step in a new Haitian policy. But there's still a long road ahead until Haiti's crisis is solved and critics are soothed.
"I don't want the policy to just stop here. . . . I want us to actively work toward returning (Haitian President Jean-Bertrand) Aristide so we can stop them from coming," says Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
Changing the refugee policy was a priority for Clinton. He sharply criticized similar repatriations by the Bush administration. Continuing it, he drew accusations of being racist.
Human rights workers in Haiti say political persecution is the worst since military leaders ousted Aristide in late 1991:
-- At least 3,000 Haitians have been killed in political violence since the coup - more than 200 this year.
-- Junta-condoned gangs have launched a campaign of raping women, disfiguring bodies and increasing harassment.
-- The pro-Duvalierist organization FRAPH has reached into every village and town and is conducting a campaign to eliminate Aristide followers.
Clinton also promises to make it easier to apply for asylum in U.S. centers in Haiti.
That process, however, is time-consuming and dangerous for Haitians. Many of them fear going to the centers, where they are identified and fingered by junta spies for probable retaliation.
Since in-country processing began in February 1992, 55,700 questionnaires from asylum-seekers have been filed. Only 2,900 of 15,300 Haitians interviewed by U.S. officials have been approved for asylum. Of those, 2,200 have arrived in the United States.
To be accepted for political asylum, a refugee must:
-- Demonstrate a fear of persecution in the home country.
-- Show that the persecution is based on race, religion, politics or national origin.
-- Prove persecution comes from membership in a certain social or political group.
Many leaving Haiti are fleeing the country's dire economic conditions. They are considered economic migrants, not eligible for political asylum.
Those economic conditions are why many Haitians are not as happy about Clinton's other move: tougher sanctions against the country.
Previous sanctions devastated the huge lower class and hurt the middle class in what is already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
The effect of new, tougher sanctions remains unclear.
Since such sanctions were threatened last year, junta leaders have secreted their assets in foreign bank accounts, acquired fake passports and stocked up on scarce supplies of consumer goods and food.
And the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic remains open. It's likely to stay that way, despite Clinton's appeals to allow U.N. troops to police border crossing, which the Dominicans strongly oppose.
Haiti: an island in turmoil Haitians have been fleeing the poverty of the Caribbean island by boat for years. The peak was reached after the military coup of 1991. Through May 3, 1994, the U.S. Coast Guard has picked up 1,311 Haitians:
