In an attempt to stem the tide of illegal immigrants arriving in Florida, the state has launched programs designed to support political and economic stability throughout the Caribbean. This year over $530,000 will be spent on efforts to improve living conditions in that region, creating a sort of state-run foreign aid program.

Proponents of the program hope that it prevents illegal immigrants from becoming the kind of touchy political issue it has become in California, where the recently passed Proposition 187 denies health and education benefits to illegal immigrants. Similar programs in the state have already had this effect, and illegal immigration to Florida has steadily declined since 1994.

Haiti is a primary focus of the program because more refugees come to Florida from Haiti than from any other Caribbean nation except Cuba. Last March a contingent of Florida government officials and businesspeople went to Haiti to share information and in May Haitian officials visited Florida to participate in a seminar about environmental management of coastal cities. The Florida programs focus on technical assistance and training, and act in large part as a supplement to federal and international aid projects.

While many people believe the programs are unlikely to make any significant difference and, as Frank Sharry, director of the National Immigration Forum, says, "are more symbolic than substantive," Haiti's President Rene Preval disagrees. He says the Florida programs "play an important role in our common interest to improve the quality of life in Haiti."