. . . they repeatedly vote against their own humanitarian interests. As the original thread points out, Haiti's struggles flow from various white, colonial boots on its neck.

It is what I often say when talking about immigration reform. Right wingers and even some moderate Democrats focus on border security and keeping people out, or even, in the case of the Democrats, making the immigration policies somewhat more equitable. My take is always to ask, "Why would people risk their lives and leave everything that they have ever known behind? Why would they leave their family, friends, community, culture, language, etc... to come to a place where they may likely be kicked out?" What is the condition in their country that lead them to that decision and HOW did it happen? In the Caribbean and Latin America we have the legacy of colonialism and from the late 1700's on, the US has been interfering in the domestic politics of pretty much every country from Mexico south in the Western Hemisphere. Katz mentioned Haiti and El Salvador because that is where the idiot Trump focused his racism, but the US has supported dictators in Panama, Nicaragua, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, Mexico, and others. Instead of focusing on working with issues with drugs with sane policies, the US has fueled violence in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and other countries by trying to eradicate the supply. We helped to create Escobar, MS-13, and the cartels in Mexico because we made drugs lucrative which helped them to become rich and powerful in poor countries. Then we blame them for being poor and corrupt.

I know that this quote is sometimes seen as dubious but Porfirio Diaz, the dictator of Mexico before the Revolution of 1910, was noted to have said, "Poor Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States"