WASHINGTON (The Hill): The U.S. special envoy to Haiti has resigned in protest over his nation’s “inhumane treatment of migrants,” a move that represents the sharpest internal criticism yet of the Biden administration’s handling of Haitian migrants.
In a resignation letter, Daniel Foote, a former Ambassador to Zambia, said that he could not be associated with “inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees,” according to USA Today.
Foote further said that the U.S.’s approach to Haiti is “deeply flawed,” and that the administration has ignored his advice.
“Our policy approach to Haiti remains deeply flawed, and my recommendations have been ignored and dismissed, when not edited to project a narrative different from my own,” Foote wrote in the letter, which was published by PBS News.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.
The resignation comes as the Biden administration faces intense backlash for its handling of Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas.
Thousands of Haitians are seeking to enter the country, and images this week of border agents on horseback corralling migrants stoked outrage.
Democrats have also been criticizing the resumption of flights deporting Haitians back to the island nation, which recently suffered a serious earthquake and saw its president assassinated over the summer.
Foote was appointed as special envoy for Haiti in late July following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. He had previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Haiti.
In the letter, Foote said that the people of Haiti “simply cannot support the forced infusion of thousands of returned migrants lacking food, shelter, and money without additional, avoidable human tragedy.”
“The collapsed state is unable to provide security or basic services, and more refugees will fuel further desperation and crime,” Foote wrote. “Surging migration to our borders will only grow as we add to Haiti’s unacceptable misery.”
