In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government's right to intercept Haitian refugees at sea and return them to their homeland without asylum hearings.
The flight of thousands of Haitian refugees, that seek a safe place in the U.S., who have risked their lives to flee Haiti in small and fragile ships is due to the abuse of human rights combined with the extreme poverty that is attributed to the dictatorial regime of that country.
Note: That executive order directing the Coast Guard to intercept vessels illegally transporting passengers and return them to Haiti without first determining whether they qualify as refugees violates the United Nations Convention.