I emigrated to the US from the Caribbean with my family when I was 5. By no means do I believe that moving to the US is the best solution for everyone – I’m not promoting brain drain. But I do acknowledge the opportunities that would have been otherwise unavailable to me and my family if we were still living in the Caribbean. I don’t see immigrants as a drain on resources – more often than not their drive, energy and creativity add value to their new society.

I don’t think that mass migration is the best solution for Haiti. However, I firmly believe that there should be opportunities for those who do want to leave and that a controlled emigration process should be part of the rebuilding efforts. Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless in Haiti and will be living in tents and squalor indefinitely – does it really benefit the country to force people to stay in these conditions?? I would think this would strain the tattered economy even more.

The President of Senegal at one point offered fertile land to any Haitians who wished to repatriate. Though he was criticized by many, I think there is value in this offer. I see more positive benefits from the international community providing income generating opportunities for Haitian immigrants, instead of just dumping billions of aid money into the country.

It’s a complicated situation with no easy fix. We can all debate about the best way forward, but at the end of the day we need to empower Haiti to determine its own destiny. Any Haitians out there? I’d really love to hear your perspective!

Prese!Prese! looks like a fantastic initiative. I read a study prior to the earthquake that 67% of Haitians wanted to leave Haiti. I can only imagine how many more would want to leave the island nation now. Though we hope that Haiti will become a desirable place to live and work in the future, we have to acknowledge that millions of people are clamoring to leave. I think there should be as many opportunities as possible for Haitians to seek a new life elsewhere. I am glad to see attorneys coming together to address these critical immigration issues.

The problem with the “reconstruction” of Haiti is that we the international community generally do not have the depth of knowledge or experience of Haiti to truly have the best solutions for Haiti, the Haitians do. With all the money that has been given to international organizations, I am left to wonder whether the needs of Haitians will be met. I recently read a blog entitled “Nobody wants your old shoes: how not to help Haiti” (http://aidwatchers.com/2010/01/nobody-wants-your-old-shoes-how-not-to-help-in-haiti/) which I found humorous and true. Here we are sending items that Haitians may not necessarily need because we feel they should have them. I guess my point is, have we stopped to ask the Haitians what they need? As organizations asked for money in the days following the quake, I do not recall seeing any Haitians outlining what they need, other than to be reunited with family, rescue from rubble, food, medications, shelter etc. Then again, I am very selective about the media sources I pay attention to so it is possible I could have missed the mass Haitian appeal.

After viewing all the images of the earth quake, I like others grappled with the question of how can I really help. I have read a lot about Haiti’s history, I know a lot of Haitians, I enjoy Haitian culture, but I have never experienced Haiti, I have not swam in Haiti. After donating money and not feeling like I was doing much, I continued to anguish until I talked to some Haitians friends of mine and asked what they and their families needed. After hearing request upon request for immigration advice, I decided the best way for me to contribute was to create Prese! Prese! (http://www.preseprese.org), an initiative for lawyers to provide pro bono legal services for Haitians in need of Temporary Protected Status application advice and other legal matters. Had I not talked to Haitians, I probably would have come up with a solution I felt they needed instead of what they really needed.

Even if Haitians had somehow or another found a way to voice a mass Haitian appeal, it would be naive of us to think Haitians speak as one voice. We would have most likely heard the most powerful voices or those with access to technology and it is arguable whether or not those would have represented the majority. So my question is who is Haiti’s voice to the world? I wonder is not that why countries are represented by governments? Governments, or at least democratic ones are for the people, by the people, of the people. Pardon me again in case I missed it, but I have not heard much from the Haitian government other than asking for more money and debt relief. I have not yet heard many plans for how to resolve the problems (the longstanding ones or the new ones).

Having said that, while the government may not be considered the best by governance standards, it is what the Haitians have in place. Haitians know the river they swim in. Perhaps the greater lesson for Haitians is in holding their government accountable and transparent. Hopefully, now is their time to rethink and rebuild much of the ailing physical and societal infrastructure in Haiti. Perhaps the earthquake will prompt Haitians to better value good leadership and refuse to be led by leaders who do not have their interests at heart. Moreover, elections are slated to take place in the near future (if they happen) so if the current government fails to act now, may the Haitians choose a government that will act on their behalf.

Moving forward, I can only hope that all our goodwill, prayers and well wishes will be used for the betterment of peoples lives in Haiti. I think the government, international donors and NGOs should work with the Haitians to develop initiatives and strategies that will create sustainable solutions to poverty alleviation, rule of law, good leadership and sustained economic growth. Partners in Health is a great example of an organization that enables Haitians to map and carry out programs that are for their own benefit. This model should be replicated by other groups. I think I echo the sentiment of many that Haiti should not become a protectorate of sorts of the international community. We can not dictate how Haiti should use the funds it has received. We the international community should not see rebuilding as an opportunity to impose our views about how Haiti should be governed and/or developed. Haitians need to be at the forefront of keeping the government and all the other players in the reconstruction scene accountable. Haitians are responsible for Haiti.