Why do Cuba and Haiti matter to US? Yes, freedom and rule of law are important. But there is also a safety reason: both countries are the starting point for the most difficult and destabilizing mass migrations to US in the 1980s and 90s. These are dangerous for those who flee. 1/
There is a misconception that mass migrations begin because of climate or other disasters. It isn't true; there are climate refugees, but unexpected mass maritime migrations are almost always caused by political unrest. 2/
Those of us of a certain age will remember "boat people." You can be pretty confident that our US intelligence and Coast Guard are monitoring maritime activity, things like are trees suddenly disappearing and whether there are sustainable water supplies. 3/
Lots of reasons to care, but this is also about protecting our (maritime) borders. Nothing to be ashamed about saying it. We have an interest in helping for reasons that are not just political or humanitarian and but also about our security. 4/4
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