The Post reports:

As a massive international relief effort lurches into gear, U.S. officials are stepping up measures to prevent last week’s earthquake in Haiti from triggering a Caribbean migration not seen in two nearly two decades.

Likewise, the AP reports:

So far, fears of a mass migration have yet to materialize. However, conditions in Haiti become more dire each day and U.S. officials don’t want to be caught off guard. . . .
The mass migration plan, known as “Operation Vigilant Sentry,” was put in place in 2003 because of previous experiences with Caribbean migrations, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O’Neil, spokesman for the Homeland Security Task Force Southeast that would manage any Haitian influx.

I did a dozen radio interviews yesterday on this, and the hosts were repreatedly asking whether the administration’s grant of “Temporary” Protected Status to Haitian illegal aliens already here would lead to a flood of boat people. I don’t think it will — TPS is only for illegal aliens who were here before the earthquake (and temporary visitors whose visas are running out).

The decision that will determine whether we see waves of Haitian boat people will be made when the Navy and Coast Guard rescue the first few boatloads of Haitians headed for Florida. If the administration — through misguided humanitarianism or political pressure — admits them rather than returning them (or at least housing them at Gitmo), word will get back to Haiti immediately and things will rapidly spin out of control, making the Mariel fiasco look small in comparison.

But I’m actually optimistic that isn’t going to happen — if only because the political price paid by President Carter and Arkansas governor Bill Clinton will be instructive to the White House.