Haitians deserve same freedoms

The news of 200 Haitian refugees storming Miami Tuesday spread throughout the state and the world quickly. The sight was as unbelievable as it was frightening.

Just feet from shore, the 200 men, women and children jumped off the grounded carrier to make their way onto land and hopefully to freedom. But the U.S. government had other plans.

While Cubans, Mexicans and members of just about any other ethnic group get full asylum in the United States, Haitians must be detained indefinitely or immediately deported. This is a law that is discriminatory and should be abolished.

For Haitians to risk their lives on a four-day boat trip from their island to South Florida is an indication of how awful the situation is in their own country.

People who actively seek refuge, and endanger their lives in the process, should be respected and given attention.

As evidenced by the president’s lack of action, it seems Bush is ready to stand by the arcane policy that only further demonstrates his tunnel vision.

Political leaders from both sides have voiced their concerns regarding the treatment of the refugees, and some have even come out to demand that the government release them.

But with blinders firmly in place, the president has ignored such cries for equality. The administration cannot sit back and wait for this problem to resolve itself.

Refugees will continue to seek shelter on America’s shores. It seems only fair that those who do receive the same treatment.

America has a storied history of equal rights that any school child can recite almost verbatim. So can any person living in another country wishing to be a U.S. citizen.

America must step up and put its theories into practice. America is either the home of the free or it’s not. And it’s either free for everyone, or it’s not.