Haitian-Americans urge halt to deportations

POMPANO, FL -- Officials and community leaders from the Haitian-American community in South Florida are urging the Obama administration to immediately halt all deportations to the Caribbean nation. They're holding a rally Saturday afternoon in Pompano Beach to call attention to the matter.
Haitian officials say the struggling country can't handle the return of deported citizens while it copes with the lingering effects of last year's tropical storms and food riots. Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph says he won't issue the travel documents needed to remove most deportees from the U.S. until there's a review of Bush administration policies toward Haiti. Among them: a refusal to grant temporary protected status to Haitians.