MIAMI (AP) — Immigration authorities have repatriated 27 Haitians previously convicted of crimes, the first such deportations since the Obama administration halted them following the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.
Immigrant advocates say political unrest and an outbreak of cholera in Haiti make it inhumane to deport people there.
But the U.S. announced earlier this month it would resume deporting those convicted of violent crimes who have served their time. Authorities generally cannot hold people indefinitely who have completed their sentences.
The U.S. say more than 61,000 Haitians have applied to temporarily stay and work here following the quake. The deadline for applying was Tuesday. Convicted criminals were not eligible.
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