The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 14th, 2024: US Braces For Migrant Surge From Haiti & UK Under Fire For Assault On Civil Liberties

Episode Date: March 14, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     The crisis in Haiti is sparking concern in the U.S. over a potential mass surge of migration from the Caribbean nation. We’ll tell you how state and federal leaders are preparing. We’ll take a look at a new extremism policy being implemented in the U.K. that critics say fundamentally threatens freedom of speech, along with the right to worship and peacefully protest. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, the crisis in Haiti is sparking concern in the U.S. over a potential mass surge of migration from the Caribbean nation. We'll tell you how state and federal leaders in the U.S. are preparing. Also, we'll take a look at a new extremism policy being implemented in the United Kingdom that critics say fundamentally threatens freedom of speech, along with the right to worship and

peacefully protest. We'll see what that policy looks like. But first, our afternoon spotlight. With the population of Haiti facing an increasingly difficult situation on the ground, American leaders are bracing for a potential migration surge from the troubled Caribbean nation. Officials with the U.S. Department of Defense told Congress earlier this week that they are alert to the possibility of a mass exodus from Haiti and are working to bolster the capabilities of the U.S. Coast Guard to deal with the threat if it materializes. The focus is on the waters around South Florida, as Haitian migrants will likely attempt to reach the U.S. by sea. Now, Homeland Security officials stressed that anyone interdicted by the Coast Guard is subject to immediate repatriation,

whether from Haiti or other nations. Well, that seems to be the complete opposite of what happens on the U.S. southern border, so here's a thought, maybe we could put the Coast Guard in charge down on the southern border. While officials said they're not currently detecting increased levels of migration from the Caribbean, they are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to act if there is a large-scale surge. Notably, the Biden administration reportedly plans to use the Guantanamo Bay military base, remember that, as a processing center for Haitian migrants, and when was the last time you heard anyone say Gitmo? Part of the controversial base has been used in the past as a migrant center.

However, the Biden administration's discussions on expanding this capability, well, that speaks to the seriousness of the potential threat. Haiti is currently in a complete state of anarchy, with some 300 or so violent gangs wrecking havoc on the streets, particularly in the capital city of Porta Prince, where gangs reportedly control more than 80% of the territory. A National Security Council spokesperson told CNN, quote, We are clear-eyed that economic, political, and security and stability are key drivers for migrants around the world, end quote.

Well, thanks very much for that clear-eyed statement of the obvious. While the federal government claims to be prepared for the various potential outcomes, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leaving nothing to chance, moving forward with his own plans to protect his state's borders from a migrant surge. DeSantis announced Wednesday that he had directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement to rally to the southern coast of Florida. DeSantis said the state is deploying 250 additional officers and soldiers, along with more than a dozen air and sea craft in anticipation, saying that, quote,

we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida. Echoing the language of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, DeSantis added, quote, illegal immigrants feel empowered to enter the sovereign territory of the United States because of the federal government's refusal to diligently enforce our immigration laws and protect the integrity of the border. When a state faces the possibility of invasion, it has the right and duty to defend its territory and people. As we've been discussing on the PDB, the situation in Haiti has completely deteriorated since gangs launched their assault on the Haitian capital not even some two weeks ago.

Marooned Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Omri announced from, Puerto Rico on Monday that he will tender his resignation in favor of a transitional governing counsel that will attempt to bring some stability back to the troubled nation. With hundreds of thousands, possibly into the millions, facing the threat of famine and continued violence, it's likely only a matter of time before the population begins to flee. Coming up after the break, we'll take a look at a new extremism policy being implemented in the United Kingdom that critics say will fundamentally erode basic civil liberties. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. A new fight over the limits of free speech is brewing in the United Kingdom, as the government

there unveils its new legal definition of extremism. According to government officials, the move is intended to protect democratic values and combat a rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hate speech since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. But critics say that, the revised label may compromise the rights to free speech and religious practice, potentially leading to discrimination against certain groups such as Muslims and fringe political ideologies. So here's how the UK now defines extremism, quote, the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred, or intolerance that aims to, number one, negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, or, number two,

undermine, overturn, or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights, or, number three, intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in neither one or two or both. Okay, so far, well, that seems reasonable. Don't destroy the rights and freedoms of others, and don't overthrow the government. You'd think the only folks disagreeing with that would be, well, extremists. So what happens now if a group is labeled as extremist? Well, the new definition isn't statutory. People can't be held criminally liable for being part of an extremist organization under this definition.

However, the UK government said these groups would be blocked from receiving public money or any sort of government recognition. Okay, so no public money or government assistance to groups that destroy the rights and freedoms of others or attempt to overthrow the government. Again, sounds reasonable. In a statement, officials wrote that the government will, quote, undertake a robust process to assess groups for extremism against the definition, which will then inform decisions around government engagement and funding, end quote.

The government has already named a number of organizations that face blacklist under the new definition, and they include the British National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi organization, and the Muslim Association of Britain, which is the UK affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. Opposition to this new definition has created some strange bedfellows, drawing criticism from the Church of England, Muslim groups, and far-right political groups. Yeah, look, there's not a bed big enough for all those folks to climb into and get together and be called bedfellows. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York said in a statement that the new definition, quote, not only inadvertently threatens freedom of speech, but also the right to worship and

peaceful protest, things that have been hard won informed the fabric of a civilized society, end quote. Now, the definition of extremism doesn't prohibit peaceful protest or the right to worship, so the church, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the neo-Nazis seem to think that this would just be the first step towards other laws that could infringe. God forbid anybody infringes on the neo-Nazis or Muslim Brotherhood. I suspect that God is already infringing on the church, so there's that. Anyway, this is one of those stories where I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think about the UK's new definition of extremism? Is it necessary to combat a rise in extremist rhetoric?

Or is this just an excuse for the government to crack down on free speech? Email me your thoughts at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 14 March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at the first TV. and be sure to check out our new premium membership at pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. And until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.