State Department officials said a U.S. Special Envoy put his ‘Foote’ in his mouth when he resigned over immigration policy.
Daniel Foote was appointed the State Department’s special envoy to Haiti on July 22 . After arriving in Haiti, Foote expressed frustration with what he reportedly considered Washington’s lack of urgency to improve conditions in Haiti. He resigned today, saying he was stepping down immediately.
“I will not be associated with the United States inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the danger posed by armed gangs to daily life,” wrote Foote. “Our policy approach to Haiti remains deeply flawed, and my policy recommendations have been ignored and dismissed, when not edited to project a narrative different from my own.”
PBS Washington Week Anchor Yamiche Alcindor posted a copy of Foote’s letter of resignation to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on her verified Twitter account, this morning.
State Department spokesman Ned Price’s statement attempted to put the shoe on the other ‘Foote.’ In a written statement, Price said the role of presidential advisors is to provide Biden with the best possible advice.
“No ideas are ignored, but not all ideas are good ideas,” Price said.
“This is a challenging moment that requires leadership,” Price noted. “It’s unfortunate that, instead of participating in a solutions-oriented policy process, Special Envoy Foote has both resigned and mischaracterized the circumstances of his resignation.”
Criticism of President Biden was recently fueled by images this week of Border Patrol agents using horse patrols to control Haitian migrants along the Texas border. Advocates of illegal aliens complain that expelling thousands of Haitians without offering them a chance to seek asylum violates American principles.
The Haitian migrant camp held more than 14,000 people on Saturday but that number has shrunk considerably. Many were expelled; others were released into the U.S. with notices to report to immigration authorities.
One Haiti official cheered Foote’s resignation, according to the Associated Press.
“This is the first time we see a U.S. diplomat who has decided to go against the will of the U.S. government,” Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s election minister, told The Associated Press. “We salute that.”
Foote is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. The Syracuse, New York native had previously served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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